Come Back to Me
by Insane Pineapple from Naboo
Summary: Takes place a month after 'Reloaded' left off. major spoilers; Zion has fallen (in this story at least), and what's left of the crews are in shambles. Lots of Drama and Angst too.... Complete
1. Awakening

Disclaimer: If you actually think I own _The Matrix _or _The Matrix Reloaded_ then I give you permission to hack into my bank accounts to see how much money I actually have. I can guarantee you won't find much. 

Author's Notes: This is your last warning. Do not read unless you have seen 'Reloaded.' This takes place right where that leaves off. 

Come Back to Me

As soon as the last free medic left the room, Trinity broke. Every drop of worry, every loving hope and fear came out. She laid her head upon Neo's stagnant chest and cried. Why did these things always happen to them? Why must they always be put through hell and back to prove that their love conquered the worst of it all?

"Neo, I know you can hear me. Come back to me, Neo. You are the One. You can bring yourself back to us, back to me. That's twice you've saved me now, and I don't know how you did it, but I love you for it. When I need you most, you always seem to be by my side or just in time to save me from my troubles. Let me help you for once, ok? I'd give my life for you, just as you would for me. Please, come back to me."

She moved his chocolate hair away from his face before reaching down to kiss his cold lips. Warmth spread throughout his body at the touch, but Trinity was far from noticing. She closed her eyes as more tears spilled down her dirt-streaked face. A cold hand reached up to wipe away her tears. She sobbed again as she leaned into his chest. He held her tightly to him as he stroked her back slowly. 

"I thought I had almost lost you again," she sobbed into his chest.

"You'll never lose me. I'll always be there for you," he murmured into her hair. 

She quieted down, but still shivered in the cold air of Niobe's ship. They were losing power fast without the connection to Zion.

"I'd be lost without you, Trin. I've heard you every time you've spoken to me, but I've been swimming in darkness. It was as if I was too tired to find my way back to the light. You were the one who gave me strength. When you died in front of me, a part of me died along with you. That's when I knew that I had to try to bring you back. I can't live without you, Trinity. You're my reason for living everyday," Neo whispered as he kissed her crown.

"You've been in a coma for a month, Neo. I've felt like I've been living in a dream again. Everything has changed since we've gotten you last out of the matrix. Zion is completely destroyed. The machines everyone, and there's only a handful of us left of the two ships. We've scavenaged everything we could, but we can't survive just off of that. I've been so helpless without you here," Trinity whispered back as she looked up at him. He knew exactly like he felt. He felt it every time he had one of those nightmares about her death.

"I know. When I was in the matrix the last time, the programmer of the matrix told what his purpose for me in the matrix was. He said that Zion had been destroyed six times before, and the matrix had been redesigned six times. I was to either pick twenty-nine people to rebuild Zion, or I could save you. He expected me to rebuild Zion like usual, but I chose you. I would choose you over everything."

"Neo," Trinity sighed as she reached up to kiss him. It was in that moment that she poured all her pent up passion for him. He shifted his weight so that he could hold her as close to him as possible. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth as she put her arms around his neck the best she could. When they broke for air, she smiled the only smile she saved for him. He smiled beautifully back as he grabbed her around the waist, jumped off the table, and spun her around. It was moments like these were rare on any ship. 

Trinity laughed gleefully and kissed him playfully on the nose. "I hate to say it, but Morpheus and Link will want to see you."

He pouted adorably before grinning at her. Before Trinity could figure out what he had in mind, Neo had picked her up from the ground and had taken flight.

"Neo, we're not in the matrix. How…?" Trinity asked as she clutched tighter to him. Neo kissed her reassuringly.

"Remember when I stopped the squiddies when harming us when we left the Neb? What my mind can do must be affecting my physical body. I just know I can. Besides, I wanted you to fly."

"Then, why don't we shock a few people. They didn't believe me when I told then that you had stopped the machines outside of the matrix," she suggested as she readjusted her position. Her kissed her lovingly one final time before flying towards the door. As they flew through the empty hallways, he felt Trinity relax into him as trust replaced her fear of falling. When they entered the construct area, Neo flew up enough to where they were just out of visible range. They listened to the conversations going on below.

"I miss the parties that we used to have on the main floor. It seemed almost carefree then," Niobe said wistfully as she watched the matrix code stream down.

"I wish I could have seen them at all," the newly unplugged Aurelie said as she swept up the remains of the most recent squiddie attack. 

"I'm worried about Trinity. How much longer do you think she'll love her life in a trance?" Link asked as he worked on one of the damaged software programs. 

"I don't think you'll have to worry about me for much longer, Link," Trinity said from above his head. Link looked up and gaped at the two of them.

"Are you…..flying?" Link asked as he circled around where their feet touched.

That seemed to get the rest of the crews' attention. "Whoa, that's not normal," Aurelie exclaimed.

A.N. Yeah, this is kinda short. This isn't going to be a long story anyway, but I'd love to hear from you. I'd also like to hear what your favorite part of 'Reloaded' was. Thanks! Ja ne ~Insane Pineapple from Naboo


	2. Complications

Author's Notes: Chord, thank you for telling me that. I sometimes get ahead of myself and expect people to know what I'm talking about. If I start to do that again, please tell me. I would have to say that my favorite part is either the car chase scene, or when Neo brings Trinity back to life. He must have been flying at 350 mph.

Come Back to Me: Chapter 2

"Neo, not even the One has ever been able to fly in the real world. How is this possible?" Morpheus asked as Neo lowered himself and Trinity to the cold metal floor. Eizus, a member of Niobe's crew, moved closer to Niobe in uncertainty. 

"Gravity does not apply in the matrix because gravity simply does not exist in a computer generated world. You already know that I can see the matrix in code. I can fly because I can change the code that limits a person to the ground. When I flew at maximum speed to save Trinity, it pushed my powers beyond my limit. My will to save Trinity gave me the strength I needed to fly at that speed. When I brought her back to life by restarting her heart, she became a part of me. At that point I knew I would die without her alive. When the sentinels(sp?) attacked, I could sense the danger coming towards Trinity by instinct. Every agent I destroyed got me closer to the power of the matrix. Saving Trinity in the matrix pushed my powers over the line of physical and mental self. Stopping the sentinels mentally and physically exhausted me to the point where my body just shut down," Neo tried to explain as he thought it over.

Trinity had moved towards the computer as she continued her search for the location of the matrix's mainframe control system. Neo felt the loss of her touch immediately, but he understood that they had plenty of time later. Niobe seemed to be glaring at him from across the room. Neo turned to her with a puzzled look. 

"What is it, Niobe," Neo asked quietly as he leaned heavily on the door. Even though he had been in a coma for the past month, his body still wasn't fully recovered. He felt like he could sleep for another week or two.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?! You are the One! You were supposed to be some kind of savior for us. You let Zion fall, and everyone I used to know with it!" Her voice took on a hysterical edge. As her last words reached their peak, she slapped him with every bit of strength she had in her. Her rough hand against his baby soft cheek resounded throughout the construct room as Niobe fell to her knees and let out her despair. Neo rubbed his stinging cheek and wiped away the blood that had dripped down from the corner of his mouth. 

Morpheus tries to comfort his once beloved. "We can't blame ourselves for this. I'm sure there's nothing Neo could have done," Morpheus whispered as he took the distressed Niobe into his arms.

"Don't, Morpheus," Neo whispered as he turned towards the door. Stopping in the doorway, he whispered, "I made my choice, and I don't regret it." 

Morpheus and Trinity shared a look over Niobe's head after Neo had left the room. Go to him, Morpheus' eyes seemed to say. Without a word, she nodded and went after him.

"What choice?" she asked when she finally caught up with him. When he refused to answer, she stepped in from of him and blocked his path. "What choice, Neo?" Trinity asked more urgently.

"I chose you, Trinity, and that's all that matters now," Neo told her before trying to move around her.

"Oh god, Neo. You didn't," she started as she stopped him.

"I did what I did, not because some predestined crap, but because it was the only choice for you and Zion to both have a future together. Since letting you die was not an option, it was the only way," Neo said as he stared into her eyes.

At that moment, she knew that there was not much he could have done to save Zion anyway. At least they wouldn't have a corrupted city. They would rebuild the city person by person, and the council would not have a single politician on it. 

Trinity leaned her head on his chest. The tear tracks that had marred her beautiful face earlier had long since disappeared. Gone were the stone face and expressionless tone when he was around. Neo buried his face in her hair and breathed in her wonderful scent. Even without being able to see her for the past month, Trinity's presence had engulfed his soul. He had felt every bearing on her perfect soul.

Trinity accepted his silent comfort as she closed her eyes. Every worry disappeared as his arms wrapped around her. His muscles had gotten somewhat stronger since they had unplugged him on that fateful day that ties her destiny to his permanently.

She had never believed in fate until he had come into her life. Now, that everything Oracle said had come true, she had started to believe.

Neo might now believe in himself as much anymore, but believed enough for the both of them. She clenched his shoulders as she looked up into is eyes. "I've needed you these past few months," she whispered as she hovered close to his luscious lips. 

"I know," he whispered as he closed the space between them. It seemed that heaven had opened its as it let two of its finest souls enter through its golden gates. Trinity melted into his arms for the first time in what seemed eternity. Her hair tickled his cheek and he smiled into her mouth. They broke for air, and he placed his forehead against hers as he gazed into her striking blue eyes. 

"I don't think they need me as much right now," Neo said as she led him to her quarters. 

"I think you're right for once," Trinity said as she led him inside. 

"For once? What's that supposed to mean?" Neo asked in mock hurt.

"Oh, nothing," Trinity said with a grin as she shut the door.

(for those of you who actually liked watching the sex scene in 'Reloaded,' look elsewhere for details. I don't write 'em)

Back in the construct room, Link had taken Trinity's place by the old ragged computer. It was as someone had once said. After awhile, you didn't even see the code. All he saw were the people as the matrix wanted him to see. Occasionally, there would be the one mind that would be so obsessed with finding Morpheus that they gave up everything else. This was when those few people were pulled out of the matrix and into the real world. Those precious few that they had to risk their lives to bring into the world.

Niobe and Morpheus had long since left the room. Link was worried for the both of them, since tension had become a daily ritual between the two of them. It seemed that they had started to avoid entering the same room by this point let alone having a deep conversation. It seemed as if one of them would buckle under the weight of the strain between them, and Niobe and caved. 

Link and Eizus were the last freeborns of the resistance, and that meant so much more because they were truly two of the only freeborns who interacted with the matrix born so freely. They were the ones volunteered to help the matrix born in their fight to save all of humanity. It mattered that much more because they were the last of the operators, and they were what kept the two ships together.

Eizus slid in the seat beside him. Link glanced up at his friend. "So what do you think, Link," Eizus asked as he drummed his fingers on the table. "What did Neo really choose?"

"I don't know, Eizus, but I trust him. Whatever he chose must have been for the best. I don't think we'd still be here if it wasn't for him," Link said as he kept his eyes glued to the several monitors.

"You don't really believe in all this mumbo jumbo shit, do you? Maybe what he chose was not really what the Oracle told him to do. We don't know who Neo met beyond that door. What choice did he really make?"

His friend's disbelief didn't mean much to Link, but it left enough doubt in Link himself that he was going to question Neo about it later.  This was the one thing that could tear them apart, and Link was determined to fix it before the tension on the ship became so great that the distraction would get them killed.

While Eizus headed off towards the kitchen to find Aurelie, Link studied a strange code on the screen. This person was walking relatively fast with the collar of his coat up. He seemed to running from something, and towards something at the same time. His code looked unlike any agent, host, or freed mind he had ever seen. In fact, it seemed that his code was much like that of the person Neo had fought to see the Oracle.

When he disappeared from the screen, Link tried everything he knew to bring him back up. Even targeting the code itself wasn't working. It was if he had walked into a small portion of the matrix that was surrounded by firewalls that were impossible to crack through. When he finally go through the first firewall, the whole mainframe of the computer caught a virus and crashed.

"Oh shit, Morpheus is gonna kill me," Link cursed as he tried to bring the computer back online. It kept shutting itself down until it finally caught a source a power that helped it come back on. Every program that had been stored on it had been completely wiped out.

"This is not what we need right now," Link stated under his breath as he started to hack into the matrix codes once more. 

Author's Notes: Does anyone happen to know how Tank died? I think I just missed that part of the movie. I also can't think of Link's girlfriend's name. Ok, is there anything I should avoid putting in the story that would make it Mary Sue like? The last thing I want in my story is an unoriginal plot. Check for updates on the first chapter again in the next week because I'm going to add some things before Neo wakes up. It seems like I rushed that a little too much. One more thing, who's yalls favorite character? Mine's Trinity. Ja ne ~Insane Pineapple from Naboo

Response to reviews:

Lovewildflower: That's definitely one of my two favorite parts. Hope it goes in a direction you like. Thanks.

Ahem: I love the penname. You really scared me there for a moment. Yeah, I'm torn between the action scenes and the romance (not the sex scene). I'll never go see a pure romance film, but I do like a little romance with my action. Was this a quick enough update? 

Chord: My explanations aren't as good as I like them to be sometimes, but I hope this helped. You have been the first person ever to actually give me good criticzing. If I start to run off without a very good explanation, beat me with a stick. 

Scanner-Cat-Scan: I know I have read something by you, but I can't think of what. The dancing was awesome, but we really didn't need to see what was going on elsewhere in that much detail. Thanks.

Noshaan Raven'tress: How in the world did you come up with your penname? Another action lover. There's never enough of those kiss ass scenes, are there?

I believe you can go to hell: I know I've seen your penname somewhere. =)

Feana: I can name a few other really good authors under the matrix. Are there stories that you think aren't so good? It's been awhile since I've read any matrix fanfictions. 

THEPRINCESS04: Yeah, a lot of people seem to think that, but why hasn't Morpheus been affected the same way? Shouldn't Morpheus have sensed the machines coming? I guess we all have our theories.

Andromeda Highwind: Yeah, if there are people who are reading my story without having seen the matrix, then they ought to be pretty clueless. Lol, the machines must be really selfish if they have to have all 100% inside of the matrix. I think the agents just do what they're told be the Architect, but that wouldn't make much sense either, would it? Now you're making me think about these crazy things.

 Lanfear: Ok, think of it this way. Neo and Trinity haven't been able to really talk to each other in a month. Trinity only opens up to Neo n the first place, so she really hasn't been able to find the answers that have burned inside of her. She can't live without Neo and he can't live without her. Does this chapter put them a little more in character now?

Murgandy: Now, that's a new one. Not many people liked that scene too much. It was awesome music though during that scene, and the dancing was pretty hot.

dreamingofani: Wow, those are definitely the two scenes that I can't choose between. Torn between sweet romance and action. I can't wait till I get to writing the first action scene in this fic. 

faye50: fast enough? Hope you liked it. 

Ishmael: Trinity and jealously was not what I was expected in the movie, but it made for an excellent touch. I think I'll be writing this fic for awhile. Who knows?

Jon D: That was exactly what I was thinking, and you helped me write a more detailed explanation of it for someone. Thanks a lot!

Nolaiel the Half-Elven: Oh, come on. Virginia isn't that boring. I live here too! You can think Demonic Kiwi for giving me inspiration for the penname. Definitely my two favorites. Hard to choose between the two, isn't it?

Numie Fan: Lol, a have a friend who really hates that scene because two many 'Elronds' is twitch worthy. I think that's why she hasn't seen the movie yet.

Oracle: Now that would be funny. Yeah, gotta love those twins.  

Audrey A: Wow! You were really that affected? This is my first romance fanfiction in two years! I'm glad to see I can write emotional romance at all. That really made my day. 

Aimee: Don't worry, plenty of Neo and Trinity will be taking place in this story. They're my favorite couple! Hm, I had someone say it was out of character. I love opposing views! Yeah, I liked the Trinity jealousy scene too. Definitely a classic.


	3. Viruses

Author's Notes: Yes!!!!! No more exams, sols, or school till the end of August. I'll know you'll be expecting more updates, but I'm going to be really busy this summer. I won't be able to update next week, but I'll up date sometime around the 24th of this month. I know that sounds like a long time away, but I won't even see a computer until the 21st. 

Come Back to Me: Chapter 3

__

"The winter here's cold, and bitter Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming

__

it's chilled us to the bone Cannot cease for the fear _  
we haven't seen the sun for weeks _Of silent nights_  
to long too far from home _Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming_  
I feel just like I'm sinking _The goddess of imaginary light_  
and I claw for solid ground "Imagery"  
I'm pulled down by the undertow  
I never thought I could feel so low  
oh darkness I feel like letting go" "Full of Grace"_  


"What've we got, Link," Morpheus asked as Link dropped his head unto the keyboard.

"Nothing, nadda. Not a single damn thing. I can't even put a trace to the source of this. It keeps coming back as if it originated within the ship," Link exclaimed as he banged his head on the keyboard in frustration. 

"Don't beat yourself up over this, Link. There's nothing you could have done," Morpheus said as he placed his hand on Link's shoulder. "Zee would have been proud of all that you've accomplished here."

A pained expression flashed across Link's face. Zee, his once beloved fiancée, was gone. She vanished with the other occupants of Zion. She would now be forever from his grasp, and the nightmares plagued his mind every night. Images of her falling into oblivion invaded his vision, and her screams pierced his ears. They had been too late to save Zion, so how could not feel as if it was his own fault? 

Link had unconsciously grabbed the charm she had given him for good luck. It had brought him the best of luck, and had given her the worst of it. He would never hear her sweet voice around him or hear her laughter cascading like the softest of waterfalls. Her soft lips would never touch his again in the barest of caresses. Link felt the tears prickling at the back of his eyelids, but he held the tears. She would want him to go on for her.

"She might've been, Morpheus. She might've been," Link whispered as he once again began to send tracers out the find the virus that had infected their main panel. It had crashed the whole system a week ago, and he had gone nearly three days without sleep trying to do something about it. Neo would be taking over his shift soon, since his shipmates had finally ordered him bed rest for a few hours a day. When Neo had finally come to take over, the silence took over.

Only his footsteps echoing off the wall gave away his presence. The silence was always the worst. It gave him time to think, and that's the one place he couldn't deal with. It gnawed at his insides, and it ate away at the barriers he had placed around his heart. He felt as if he couldn't breathe. Even though the air on the ship was much thinner than it should be, it was like swimming in a dark, endless pool to breathe for Link. 

He climbed down the ladder at the end of the hall. The boiler room was the only place where he got a moments peace. Only Trinity had come down here when Neo had been in a coma, and no one had come down since. Link sat on the unkempt floor and pulled his knees up under his chin. Breathing a few ragged breathes help him get control over himself. 

Control. It was the one thing that their ship had lacked when they had found out about Zion. Morpheus and Niobe had sat back in a stunned silence, while Eizus and Aurelie had gone with their first emotions. They had panicked and it had taken a somehow calm and controlled Trinity to calm them down. Link had gone into an uncontrolled rage. He hadn't done it in front of the combined crew because of the initial shock, but they all knew about it. It had taken more than Trinity to calm him. He only wished that she had somehow made it out.

~``~``~~~~`~`~~~``~~~``~~~~~``~~~~``~~~~~~~~``~~~``~~~~~~~``~~~~~~~``~~~~``~

Trinity only put up a brave face when she absolutely had too. Reassuring Neo had been one of those times when she had to go on instinct. It didn't mean that she actually would let something like this go. It was almost as if Neo had changed. They all had, but the intelligence in his eyes had become greater. It was almost as if had been withholding information on their account. He opened up more, yes, but something was wrong. 

He shouldn't have given up Zion for her. Her life was nothing compared to the mass of lives that once made up Zion. They would rebuild it, but it would never be the same. Why didn't Neo see this? He had chosen her, and she loved him for it, but oh gods. She didn't want to think of what the rest of her shipmates were going through.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Neo asked as his arms encircled her waist. She turned to face him, but didn't meet his eyes.

"Why did you really do it, Neo?" Trinity asked. "How could you choose me over so many lives?"

Neo's face clouded over as he sighed deeply. "I didn't have to think, Trinity. Zion would've been destroyed anyway. This was the only think I could about it."

"You could have somehow saved Zion though. What really happened in there?" Trinity persisted. This time, she wouldn't even think about letting it go.

"The architect gave me a choice. I could either chose to watch the matrix to be reconstructed yet again with a new Zion, or I could save you. It wasn't even a choice to me," he whispered into her hair. 

"I still wish you had chosen Zion. There's nothing we can do with just one ship of people. The only chance we have is to find another ship," she whispered back.

"Then it's a chance we have to take."

"I know, but what if…" Trinity trailed off.

"If what?" Neo asked as Trinity slid off the cot. 

"What if we die out here? Then, the human world will never be free. We're running low on food, Neo. The sentinels have Zion. What are supposed to do?" she asked as she looked at the floor.

Neo slid off the cot as well, and gently lifted her chin so that she met his eyes. "We will win this war. I will do everything in my power to make sure that we do. We will free the human race, or die trying," The determination in his eyes made her shiver. 

Trinity could only give him a shaky smile in response. 

"I have to take over for Tank. Try to get some food and rest, Trinity. You are still human after all."

He moved a stray piece of hair behind her left ear, and he let his hand linger there before bending down to kiss her. Her body meshed against his perfectly. Neo stayed there a moment more before exiting the desolate room. 

The hum of the computers welcomed Neo as he relieved Link. His shipmate seemed preoccupied within his own thoughts, so Neo took his place without saying a word. It might just another one of those days. Neo wished for a cup of black coffee as he watched the tracers that were sent out. They came back to the ship as usual.

Usually, they would try again in an hour. Instead, Neo tried something new. He received the information from the tracers that would tell him which part of the ship they were talking about. A screen pulled up a map of the ship on his left, one of the few programs that were still intact. "Morpheus," Neo called. "I think you need to see this."

~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~~~``~

Meanwhile, Morpheus and Niobe were in the mess hall. He hadn't managed to convince Niobe that everything wasn't Neo fault, but he had managed to calm her down enough to listen to reason. It wasn't the loss of Zion that was killing him; it was seeing Niobe in so much pain that was killing him slowly. That all had losses from Zion, but it hit her the hardest. She had found the first thing to blame, and she clung to that as if it was her lifeline. 

All she saw was red. The blood of her relatives, her friends, her lover. It all came down to the faith that had been put in one man. The faith that had betrayed them to the enemies they couldn't fight, couldn't run from, couldn't even see. They only had the purpose of destroying, but it was going to kill them as well. 

If the machines killed all the humans, they would also die. The humans and the machines couldn't seem to live without each other, and they hated each other for it. The irony of it all. The truth of it was that humans could live without machines, but are they really willing to give up something that they have depended their whole lives upon? Not likely.

Niobe had made up her mind awhile ago. She would have her revenge whether it meant she was reckless or not. If you didn't take chances, you never got anywhere. Being overly cautious could get you killed in this world. As soon as the matrix was back up online, she was going in. Nothing could stand between her and cutting a bloodpath into every agent that dared come across her. This was going to happen with or without help.

Morpheus slipped quietly out of the room. Niobe had gotten a gleam in her eyes that Morpheus hadn't liked. It meat she was going to do something whether he approved or not. The last time something like that had happened, she had gotten herself nearly killed. It had been an accident on the agents part that she had made it out alive. She wasn't going into the matrix again so soon, he was sure of that.

Morpheus wondered down the endless halls until he reached Aurelie's room. Hearing nothing, he lowered his hand from the door he was about to knock on. Link's room was also empty. Heading down the hallway again, Morpheus frowned to himself. Eizus nearly ran into him, as he ran the other way. 

"Morpheus, you need to come quick. Neo's found something," Eizus panted as he darted off the other way.

"Eizus!" Morpheus yelled back. "Does it have something to do with the computers?"

"Yeah!"

As he reached the construct room, Neo said, "Morpheus, I think you need to see this."

Morpheus studied the accuracy of the tracers. They were pointing towards the medical bay.

A.N.: I know, I'm evil. I knew it! I knew I couldn't be the only one thinking 'stop, rewind. What happened to Tank?' I will work that in at some point. Review please. Ja ne ~Insane Pineapple from Naboo

love wildflower: Wow! That was quick. Do you check fan fictions everyday? Thanks a lot for your insightfulness. 

Kasha: Neo and big words. I'm not the best with dialogue, so its probably how I would explain things. *shrugs* Dual matrix? Huh? I guess we all have our theories. 

Gypsy: Yep, like I said before, I have a major problem with writing dialogue. It seems to throw all my characters out of character. I'll just say that he's had a moth to think about these tings. 

Andromeda Highwind: No! I love your theories. I love hearing what other people think about these things. It gives people things to discuss about. 

Jordon: Yay! I have a comedian reviewer! I love those, they always seem to bring a laugh or two into my busy days. Thanks a lot!

Dreamingofani: OK, I tried to work in more of a confrontation. I also think it helps put Trinity more into character. Thanks, I love hearing about how to make my stories better.

Darkeyedtrinity: I loved that seen. Definitely priceless! Lol, thanks.

Aimee: Ok, like I said, I tried to work in more about that. I don't think she would let something like that slide. It's just not her, but thanks for the encouragement. I am going to say how Tank died. It will probably be way off, but that's ok. It's fanfiction. 

Ms8309: Ack! They needed to. Can't they at least say that much?

Kenora Hazel Saul: Wow! How did you come with the reviewer name? I love it. 

Nain: So am I! How is it that she gets Neo? Oh well, it did help very much so. Thanks.

Ikobe: I made someone tolerate Trinity? Wow, that really made my day. I sure if you go off to Hollywood he'll be open for the taking *gives Ikobe knowing look*

Terin: Thanks. Three words can actually mean a lot sometimes. 

Kiki: A lot of people liked those two scenes it seems. Thanks.

Deranged black kitten of doom: Thanks!


	4. Darkness

Author's Notes: I'm back from France! That means I get to write for the rest of the summer! I'm in a dark mood though because some people are against my religious beliefs, so this story is probably going to take a dark turn somewhere…. And by the way, I found out that Zion wasn't destroyed in the movie. It was just the other ships, but I already like the way I've gone with this story. Lots of angst to go around. 

Come Back to Me: Chapter 4

I'm slowly sinking into nothingness. I feel numb inside as if I don't want to feel the pain any longer. It's driving me to darkness, and I don't want to fight it. It will take me, and I will surrender to the sweet bliss of the insanity. As long as I don't have to bear the loss, why does it all matter?

When Zion collapsed, out ship was too close to the machines. We were all infected a brutal disease that doesn't seem to matter anymore. Everyone on the ship was treated with the antidote except one person. Me. It was my choice to sneak away from the medic bay the day the shots were given. At first, the shock of death hit me hard, but I can't feel anything anymore. I should have died with Zion. Instead, I'll die for the hopeless cause of its return. 

There are pools of blood around my bed. The medic who treated the rest of the ship that day has bad cases of old timers poor fellow. He forgot that I was the one who wasn't treated that fateful day. So, now he only thinks I'm having a strong case of consumption. I call it that instead of tuberculosis because the name is more fitting to the situation. I'm dying, and there's nothing that the bubbly little medic can do about it. 

My hair is filled with dried and caked blood. I've done nothing to attempt to wash it out because nothing matters anymore. None of them will miss me. Not really. Morpheus will mourn, but it doesn't matter to me anymore. He cares about every person on this ship, and the only one who really gave me the time of day for me. He's the only reason I haven't just gone ahead and killed myself. Oh, I've thought about it all right. I'd just rather go down in a fight against the machines. As soon as they're back online, I'm going in. Luckily, I never have the problem of looking pale. They won't suspect a thing.

The colors are started to fade now. I can only see in shades of gray. It fit my mood perfectly. I wipe at the new dribble of blood that dribbles down chin. I have to hold onto the wall as I make my way down to the bathroom. I pour ice head over my as I cough up a last bit of blood. My throat is raw from the constant threat of there not being enough oxygen. My stomach is tumbling inside of me. Not much longer then. I wish they would hurry up so I can get this over with.

I hope they don't get themselves killed too quickly. They plan on retaking Zion, and rebuilding it brick by brick. Good luck to that. Maybe they'll find alive people in hiding somewhere. We could only look so far because of the machines. I'll wait for you in my peaceful slumber. Well, as peaceful as a soldier can have. We'll always be fighting, and I hate that. I can't sleep because I'm fighting in my dreams, and I can never truly love because emotion causes distraction. I envy Trinity.

I've been scaring people for weeks now. I'd huddle up in a ball inside my room for hours at a time while I cry myself to sickness. I'd come out looking composed as ever though. Only Trinity and Morpheus would notice anything wrong. She would never say anything about it though; that's just the way she is. Morpheus would corner me later though, and ask me what was wrong. I never looked him in the eye. How could I?

I feel hot and cold at the same time. My skin prickles from the cool air inside the dark ship, but I'm burning up inside. Only my shipmates know I'm dying because of the loss of antibiotics. What would Morpheus do if he ever found out? I'm making my way to the other side of the ship without looking too fragile. I've put up a mask too long to have it all destroyed by looking weak. 

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

"Boss, you can reboot. Everything has been reconnected down here," Link yelled from the lower deck behind a mass of wires. 

"Stop calling me that, Link," Morpheus yelled back as matrix code came back online.

"Sure thing, Boss," Link answered cheerfully as he climbed back on the upper deck. Morpheus clinched his teeth and glared at Link's reflection on the monitor. 

"Has it been confirmed that the tracers are directed at the medical bay?" Neo yelled up from the below deck. He was rechecking the main cables for shortages in the wires. They had a blackout earlier that morning.

"Triple checked," Link shouted back. 

"It doesn't make any sense. The only person in the med bay right now is in comatose. Where did they say he was from?" Morpheus contemplated as he watched a train wreck in the matrix version of New York City. 

"Something about a ship that was destroyed," Link shrugged. "Ask Niobe."

"Ask Niobe what," Trinity asked as she brought a fresh pot of coffee. They each gratefully accepted a steaming cup. 

"Where the guy in a coma is from," Neo said from behind her. She offered him a quick, small smile before turning back to the others.

"Bane was from one of the earlier ships that was attacked. That's all I know besides that he was attacked inside the matrix. Well, they think he was attacked inside the matrix," Trinity added thoughtfully.

Morpheus choked on his coffee. "We weren't informed of this. He's a danger to this ship if he was attacked by Agent Smith like I was. That might be how the machines infiltrated the city. How did you know about this?"

Trinity looked away uncomfortably. "Ship rumors. You told us not to tell you about those unless they were a danger to the ship. They weren't at the time. I forgot about it later."

"Is it safe to enter the matrix right now?" Neo asked to break the tension between his captain and love. 

"Not quite. The system is a bit unstable right now. Should be alright in about an hour or two if we keep a close eye on it. Planning to go in so soon?" Morpheus answered with a raised eyebrow. 

"Actually, yeah. I need to try to find the Oracle first. Then I need to see what's going on in the matrix otherwise," Neo answered.

"I think you have your priorities out of order," Trinity stated. Neo shrugged.

"Does it really matter which one I do first as long as I get them both done?" Neo asked.

"Not really. The latter seems to be more important though. I'm going with you," Trinity said with a determined look. Neo was about to protest when Morpheus stepped in.

"I'm going as well, but if agents attack, I want you out of there, Trinity." Trinity and Neo both sighed in defeat for different reasons. Link grinned in anticipation. 

"You want me to get it ready, Boss?" 

"Only if you stop calling me Boss," Morpheus answered as he waltzed out of the room.

"Alright, Boss," Link ducked as the heavy manual was thrown at his head halfheartedly. 

"So, what are we going to do about comatose guy?" Link turned back to Trinity and Neo after setting the heavy manual on the floor under the computer.

"Comatose guy? I almost feel sorry for him with the names we're giving him. We'll probably study him to see how Agent Smith got in him in the first place. We'll find out soon enough," Neo answered. 

"That's probably where Morpheus went then," Trinity added. Link nodded his head in agreement. 

"Should I make more coffee then?" Link questioned as seriously as he could muster.

"No!" Trinity and Neo chorused together. Last time he had made coffee, it hadn't been pretty. Link laughed as he went after Morpheus.

"You don't think he's actually going to make the coffee, do you?" Neo asked his love.

"I hope not; I had to drink a gallon of water last time because I was the unfortunate one who tried in first. You know how I drink my coffee," Trinity shuddered. Neo did remember; she swallowed the whole cup in one gulp.

"You shouldn't be worried about me in the matrix as much now," Trinity suddenly took a serious turn. 

"I'll always worry about you in the matrix. There's nothing you can do to stop that," he whispered as he put his more muscled arms around her.

"Oh, Neo," Trinity sighed as she laid her head inside the fold of his shirt.

Author's Notes: I guess once I got back in the fanfiction writing mood, it became a much lighter chapter than I thought it would. Usually, if I get in such a mood that I kill someone, it stays that way for awhile. So, this chapter has a little bit of everything. I have written more dialogue in this story than all my others combined. Ok, cookies all around to everyone who can guess who is actually going to die in this story. It might not be who you think it is. I suddenly had the inspiration as to where I'm actually going with this story. Hm….. Ja ne ~Insane Pineapple from Naboo 

Response to Reviews:

A.N. one last note: more cookies to people who can guess what song I think is absolutely perfect for Trinity.

Goldy: Wow, you really wanted me to review if you wrote that many random ones. I wait to see what you are going to write next time, but don't worry; I'm going to update either Friday or Saturday.

Zi Marquise: Huh? No, the machines didn't destroy her ship, they destroyed the other ship. There were three ships of people in the matrix when Neo went to see the architect, and Niobe's was the only one left. Thanks. There's lots of fics with sex scenes? You learn something new every day….

lovewildfire: One of my faithful reviewers! I love to hear from you. It looks like this story is just going to have a little bit of everything in it. They're going in the matrix soon! Hooray for action scenes!

Aimee: I'm going in every direction with this from dark to light to everywhere. Inspiration comes to me at the weirdest times, so we end up with a little bit of everything.

Dreamingofani: That is just freaky. That song plays on the radio? I keep learning new things from my reviewers. It just seemed to fit the mood of the story, so I put it in. Yeah, everyone seems to say that about Tank. The full story I've gotten from people is really interesting actually. *grins* I love writing cliff hangers. They drive people crazy for some people….

Trinity Eternity: Now, now. Don't kill each other Neo. You hear that Ikobe? There are some much better matrix writers than me, but thanks anyway. I can recommend a few good ones actually. Let me look them up again, and I'll get back to you. I'll never just stop a story right in the middle of it either. I can guarantee you that I will finish this.

VivianeAeryn: They mentioned that Zee had lost Tank in Reloaded. I'm assuming he'd died then. 

Roselyn: You need to send that explanation up to dreamingofani. Oh, so that's his name! Now I can't keep calling him comatose guy. *grins sheepishly* 


	5. The Matrix

Author's Notes: Hi, everyone! I need you guys to do me a favor. If I haven't updated again by Tuesday evening, send me an email. I plan on updating twice on this story next week, and twice on my other one, so feel free to go to all extremes to get me to write. 

Come Back to Me: Chapter 5

The ground trembles beneath me. The air is quivering as I upload myself into the main control. I programmed the computer so that it would not detect where I am. They cannot understand my reasons behind this, so I do not want them to me follow me to my graveyard. My sanctuary. If I can't comprehend what is to come, how will they grasp it. 

Everything around me has stopped. It's as if time itself has stopped in its cycle to watch my every last moment. My body shows no trace of blood now, and I welcome the change. My breathing has eased beyond my earlier gasped. I'm no longer forcing myself forward to meet this end. My feet are carrying me towards final destination. No one seems notice I'm even here in these godforsaken streets. It makes it that much easier.

They're following me, both the good and the bad. Let them come. If and when Morpheus finds me, I'll deal with it. That is, if I'm still alive by then. I know why the agents hate us so much. They need us to survive. They hate that dependence they have upon most of mankind, but most of all; they hate those of us who have escaped because we not share their dependence. I hope it to be their downfall. Actually, I know it to be their downfall.

They're coming closer still. My feet have stopped in the middle of a busy square in the Bronx. The hairs on the nape of neck are beginning to rise, but I'm paralyzed in every aspect of the word. I will not run, nor will I hide. I can feel their eyes on my back. They aren't running towards me, they're sauntering in a predator approach. I will not become their prey. Not while I still have one last rebellious breath in me. 

Is Morpheus coming? He'll only see a caged cat fighting her way to the surface. I'm not even human anymore to the eyes of every agent before. Some might even that I'm just a machine with no emotions whatsoever. The irony of it all almost makes me laugh maniacally at the agents before me. There's only two now, but there will be more. There's always more. 

"Link, has anyone made coffee?" Morpheus asked as they walked down to the bay together. Link nodded thoughtfully. 

"Trinity made some about five minutes ago. She and Neo refused to let me make it for some odd reason," Link added. 

"As no one seems to know," Morpheus answered dryly. Someone snickered behind them, but a sharp elbow in the gut cut it off.

"Eizuz, Aurelie, can you scan the minor computers in the lower bay for us? You have cleanup duty tonight while we're in the matrix."

"See? I told you what happen if we spied on people. Eizus, you…" Aurelie's scolding voice trailed off as they rounded the corner that led to the ladder. 

"Have Neo and Trinity secured Bane yet?" Link took a serious turn as they too rounded the corner past the ladder. 

"Physically, yes. Mentally, we're working on it. That's our main purpose of going into the matrix right now. It's long past time that we had done something about the current situation." Morpheus casually walked down straight halls with his hands behind his back. He walked with a purpose, but not in any hurry. That was, until they reached the construct room. Niobe's form was almost unrecognizable. Her hair was dried in a dark red, and she was coughing up blood by the minute. 

"Link, pinpoint her location," Morpheus commanded as he strode over her convulsing form. "Neo, Trinity, I need you up here now!"

"I can't!" Link rushed with panic in his voice. "She's put enough blocks up to take an hour to crack." Footsteps resounded in the not so empty hallways. 

"Shit," Trinity breathed from the doorway. Neo cursed in every language he knew.

"We're going in. Now," Morpheus said as he set up the nearest chair. 

"How are you gonna find her in there," Link questioned doubtfully. 

"We'll find her. Load us up," Morpheus commanded. 

Neo felt the usual tingling sensation during the three seconds it took to load him into the matrix. Potential hosts rushed past him as they went home for the day. He noticed that weapons had already been given to him by Link, and his six-inch dagger had been placed in his left boot as usual. He didn't want to leave Morpheus or Trinity alone, but he took to the air without much of a second thought.

Flying just above the highest buildings, he scanned over the code that stood out the most. Potential hosts flooded into a sea of code that barely left room to define their shapes. A few spare agents stood out, but weren't causing harm at the present moment. A stray Agent Smith wondered toward the edge of an empty alleyway. There were several more in Central Park. There was nothing out of the ordinary in Manhattan, so he moved onto Stanton Island. 

Seeing still nothing out of place, he moved onto the Bronx. There seemed to be a riot of sorts uptown, but one of the main squares in the downtown area caught his attention the most. Hearing his cell phone ring, Neo stopped in mid-dive. "Yes," he answered impatiently.

Link voice flooded into his hearing. "Morpheus and Trinity ran into some trouble. Where are you?" 

"Two hundred feet above Niobe. Where are they?" Neo tapped his foot on the thin air. People were starting to stop and stare. Neo ignored them.

"They ran into a few Agent Smiths in Times Square. Seems as if they came from Central Park."

"They did. I'll be there after I help Niobe." Neo flipped off his cell phone as he dove again towards Niobe. He barreled into three that were ganging up on her. Swiftly rising to his feet, Neo jumped over an agent who had tried to kick his feet out from under him. Kicking up towards one agent, he twisted in the air elbow another in the air. He heard a sickening crack as the second agent collapsed with a broken neck. The agent fled the body of that host to another nearby. 

Using his curved dagger, he swung wildly towards the general direction that Agent Smith was in. It embedded itself right above the copy of Agent Smith's ribcage. He caught a glimpse of Niobe's almost shocked face as she fell behind him. Grabbing the dagger and yanking it free from Agent Smith's copy, he gathered the limp form of Niobe up in his arms and took flight again. 

Frowning to himself, Neo scanned Times Square. Trinity and Morpheus were heading in two different directions. Trinity had gotten a motorcycle from the curbside, and had jumpstarted it. She was racing away from four agents that were hot on her trail. She seemed to silently communicate with him even from there. He took Niobe towards Morpheus' direction where he was heading towards the crosstown metro. He hadn't chosen the best of cars for protection, but it was perfect for Neo. He took a high dive towards the convertible in its ninety mile an hour speed. Morpheus had somehow managed to get on the highway through back alleys. 

Neo deposited Niobe into the shotgun seat and yelled towards Morpheus, "Are you on a suicide mission? Why the hell do you have a convertible?"

Morpheus yelled back, "It wasn't a convertible until I had to go under something that shaved the top and back windshields off entirely. Wasn't my first choice; go help Trinity. I'm on my way out now."

Neo nodded as dodged the few bullets that grazed the side of Morpheus' car. Flags were ripped off their poles as he flew by. Plants were overturned and fruit stands disheveled. Neo pulled two of the agents out of their cars and threw them into traffic. Cars swerved to a halt behind him as they tried to avoid the agents who were now at a standstill. Trinity took the motorcycle up a ramp on a trailer tractor. The motorcycle flipped as it went over a bridge and landed in flames on the highway below. Trinity had jumped off in mid somersault to land in Neo's awaiting arms.

"Why do you always fall?" Neo whispered into her ear as he changed directions yet again. 

"Because you'll always catch me." She countered as he flipped open his cell phone.

"Link, we need an exit," He said into the phone. Trinity tightened her grip on him with only one arm around her.

"Corner of Houston St. Payphone," Link answered as Neo hung up. Trinity relaxed her grip slightly as Neo brought his other arm around her.

"How's Niobe doing?" Trinity asked she watched the buildings pass below. 

"I'm not sure she was still alive when I picked her up. I'm just not," Neo answered with a shake of his head. Neo lowered them down towards an empty alleyway. Adjusting his shades, Neo walked into the blaring sunlight. He stopped dead when he saw the building across the road.

"What is it?" Trinity asked in her calm tone. None of her worry leaked through. There's no code on that building. There should be even the slightest hint of code, but there's not. It's like the room I was in with the Architect. It's there, but wasn't programmed there. Why?" Neo inquired as he stepped towards the building. The ringing of a phone brought him out of his thoughts.

"We'll check it out later. We don't have time, now," Trinity urged him on. He handed it to Trinity first as was his usual habit. 

Back in the construct room, Niobe's heart rate was flatlined. Link buried his head in his hands as Morpheus sat back in shock. 

Author's Notes: So how did my first attempt at action/adventure on this story go? Good? Great? What were you THINKING? I'm kinda sorry about Niobe, but I had to finish what I started. These ideas just keep popping up left and right. Actually, email me Sunday to tell me to start the next chapter. I should be able to spend a few hours a day on these chapters instead of doing it all at once. I will have this done by Tuesday at midnight East Coast time though, if someone sends me a threat to start writing right this minute though. *Grins* I love those. Although, reviews usually work just as well… Ja ne ~Insane Pineapple from Naboo

Responses to reviews:

Dreamingofani: Of course. I always make sense of illogical logic. I love that cd! On my last story, I had this unusual POV with a mix of third and first. It was sort of similar to a camera going in and out of focus. It seemed a little more dramatic to have hers in first person though. I'm a very indecisive person at times. It always seems to cause confused people…

Kurt: You were about three chapters too late to tell me that. If you read my author's notes in chapter four, you'll find out that I realized that a bit too late, but like the way I'm going with this story.

Lovewildfire: Thanks! I seem to just start writing and all these random thoughts come to me. I work them in, but it still seems to confuse people sometimes. Thank You! I finally got a characterization right on this story. I'm so happy now! Sorry, you had to wait so long. Next one *will* be out Tuesday.

Aquarian Wind: You know, that would make a very interesting AU. Wow, you're giving me a lot of ideas. Not exactly what you're saying, but things I can actually work in. Very interesting points. If Neo was a machine, all hell would break loose. I love chaos; it's just so fun to work with. I have yet to see the Animatrix. Is it good? I have nothing to do next week, but to sit around and write fanfiction. Maybe I can see it then. 

Diamond-Dancer: I was thinking maybe "Riot Girl" by Good Charlotte when she's in kick butt mode. I'll have to look up Counting Crows. Thank you so much! Say thanks to your cousin as well. 


	6. Shock

Author's Notes: Wow, I made a deadline on a fanfiction! I rarely procrastinate on things, but fanfiction is a whole different story. I made a deadline. *dances around while laughing hysterically* 

Come Back to Me: Chapter 6

I saw myself before I floated out of view. Where am I going? It seems a lifetime ago that I waited for this moment. Now that it's here, I don't know what's to happen to me. I no longer feel the need to breathe, but I do so out of habit. As I once learned, it's not air I'm breathing now, but what the hell? Does anything really matter anymore? I can see nothing but pure light anymore. It's not really bright; it's this dull aching that reminds me of my past life. 

I have entered a room now filled from wall to wall with people. The room seems to grow as more people are added. It seems as if the entire city of Zion is here. "What are we doing here?" I try to ask the nearest person. "We're waiting," the person whispers hauntingly. I find that my own voice is not nearly as faded yet. 

"What are we waiting for?" I try to ask again. No one seems to either hear me or know. It is finally Tank who can give me an answer.

"We're waiting for something to happen. Something we can't explain, something that involves the Matrix. That's all anyone knows. We'll know what to do when the time comes. That is good enough for most people," He whispers as he turns to leave. 

"Wait, Tank!" I call after him. My voice is heard above most of the others, and they turn to look at their new arrival. "What happened to you? Morpheus, Trinity, and Neo are the only ones who knew. They wouldn't tell us."

"They had good reason not to," Switch came closer to me. "It all came down to Cypher's betrayal. They would have only told those who really needed to know. We died in the Matrix, Dozer was shocked to death, and Tank died of an infected wound that couldn't be cleansed in time. He withheld his pain, so that Neo and Trinity could get Morpheus out in time. If you being here is any indication of what is happening down there, Tank died for a lost cause."

"Not lost, not yet," I mumble in denial. My lips twist up in an ironic smile. "Neo sacrificed Zion to save Trinity. I heard their conversation. Oh, he'll save the rest of humanity," I reassure of their shocked, but saddened expressions. "But, he did something that no one else could do. He sacrificed everything we've built so that he save both his love of Trinity and his love of humanity. I don't understand what we're waiting for then."

"I do," Mouse spoke up for the first time. Every pair eyes in that room landed on him. "We're waiting for the final battle. We're waiting to be reborn." Excited chatter started in various places around the room.

"How do you know?" I asked. I've been through too much to just listen to one single voice anymore. 

"Morpheus believed in something that I saw happen. Neo believed in something that he made happen. It's our turn to believe in something that will happen. Why? Because we've fought this battle too long and too hard for it not to happen," Tank answered with a determination set of his jaw. For the first time since I left Morpheus all those ages ago, I felt pure, raw hope.

Neo felt numb as he gazed on the form of Niobe. He didn't need to look at the monitors above her to tell that she had died in the Matrix. Morpheus gently unplugged her as he and Trinity gently moved her body to the floor on the other side of the room. Knowing the customs from before, he found one of the extra blankets to lay over her. Morpheus cleaned her face with a soft washcloth meant only for these occasions, after closing her eyes and kissing her forehead. Morpheus whispers to her, and Link moves to comfort Morpheus, but Trinity shakes her head no.

Link's hand lowers and he pads silently back to the other side of the room. This was the first time he had seen death on a ship first hand, but it would not be the last. Better that he understood how it was handled now for future purposes. Trinity and Neo closed their eyes and bowed their heads towards Niobe. Morpheus gathered himself together and exited the room without another word. "How could we lose another person after everything we've gone through, Neo? How?" Trinity asked as she banged her fist on the far wall. The lights above flickered from the force.

"It wasn't your fault, Trinity," Eizus announced from the doorway. "She's been dying for about a year now. There was nothing you could have done. She wanted to die fighting instead of the disease she had, but we didn't know she would do anything like this." He bowed his head to hide his guilt from them. 

"She's been dying for a year and you did nothing but watch her die?" Trinity asked with an edge to her voice. Link's voice cut in sharply to stop her from doing anything rash.

"God damn it, Trinity. Don't you think we haven't tried? By the time we found out, there was nothing we could have done to save her. The only reason I know at all is because Eizus let it slip at dinner once. Fortunately, Aurelie and I were the only two there. There is nothing any of us could have done to stop her." Link rarely snapped at anyone, but one of the last surviving people had died because she couldn't fight it any longer. This was no time for arguing. 

"I'm going back in the matrix," Trinity declared. Link looked up in shock at her rashness. It might get her killed again someday.

"Not without me, you're not," Neo proclaimed as he moved towards the stations. 

"You're both insane," Link mumbled as he moved towards the monitors to load them up. 

"Insane with a purpose. There's always reasons for our insanity and the insanity that's called the matrix. We have to destroy Bane." Link barely heard as he mumbled about how they were going to get themselves killed one day. After they had been loaded up, Aurelie shrieked and collapsed. 

Trinity's cell rang outside the building that Neo was moving to have a look at. "Yes," Trinity answered as she followed Neo into the building. "Aurelie has gone into shock, and we can't find Morpheus. I don't know what to do!" Link's frantic voice came over the static line. 

"Don't not move her. Raise her legs, and loosen tight clothing. Is she breathing? Ok, begin resuscitation immediately. Keep checking breathing every ten minutes, and only call back if she gets worse." Trinity's mask of calm didn't slip as she entered through the front doors. 

"Problem?" Neo asked as he studied the person at the front desk. He also seemed to be looking through the floors as if looking for something or someone above. 

"Aurelie's gone into severe shock. Did you find out anything?" She asked as they walked back through the doors looking casual and not in any hurry so as not to alert their presence. 

"We're going to need a really big bomb." Neo answered as he walked faster towards Bane's location. 

"Why?" 

"That building was swarming with agents, sub-programmers, and the Architect. If we blow it up…."

"We're going to have a lot of people to welcome to the real world." Trinity adjusted her shades as they came to a dead stop. She had grown accustomed to Neo watching her back, but it was her turn to watch. Unsheathing her dagger as well, she also took out the weapon that saved her life many a time. 

"Here? She asked. Not a hint of apprehension in her voice was betrayed. 

"Now," an Agent Smith to her right answered as he attacked. He lunged at her, but Neo's dagger was in his throat before he got within five feet of Trinity. Trinity sidestepped the only other Agent Smith before slashing at his ribs. He grinned at her while pulling the stained blade out of his chest. A bullet to the head stopped him in his tracks before he could attack Neo. 

Trinity turned to see the first Agent Smith morphing back into the once infamous Bane. "That's one problem solved. Let's see if we can help the emotionally shaken up Aurelie. Link, we need an exit," Neo stated into his phone.

"Can't give you one, Neo. The only power you didn't knock out is the one line that's connecting you to the Matrix. You're lucky not to be dead right now. We have Aurelie stabilized, but it'll be hours before we get power back with all of us working on it."

"Shit," was all Trinity said when Neo relayed to her the news. 

"We're going to need a bomb the size of a car directed across the street from where we entered the Matrix. Be prepared to explain to about a couple billion people why their lives have been a lie. We'll try not to get ourselves killed." Cursing could be heard on the other end of the phone as Neo led Trinity back to the other building. 

"And why are we trying not to get ourselves killed?" Trinity asked as the dodged into a narrow alleyway to avoid being spotted by yet another agent. Their presence must have been alerted by Agent Smith because that was the fourth Agent they had to avoid. 

"That bomb should be big enough to take out half of Manhattan. We should probably wait until they can get us out of the Matrix before we set it off. Otherwise, we will be stuck in the Matrix with only a couple hundred Agent Smiths." Neo stopped short as they came across the spot where the building was before.

"What?" Trinity asked as she nearly ran into the back of him. 

"It's gone," Neo answered as he turned towards her.

"What's gone?" Trinity asked. She could feel a tingling of danger creeping up her spine. 

"The building holding the Matrix together. The programmers are gone as well, and they are about fifty agents towards us from all directions," Neo answered as he grabbed her around the waist.

"Not good," she responded.

"Understatement," Neo replied as they took off from the ground. Helicopters filled the air with agents as pilots.

"Here we go again," Neo whispered to no one in particular as he took off towards the mountains. Gunshots filled the air as agents followed….

A.N. Lots of conflicts. I'll try to have the next chapter up Thursday or Friday. I'll have it written by then, but it depends on you guys as to when I put it up. I just love writing action. I find that it mixes well with drama, angst, and romance. Ja ne ~Insane Pineapple from Naboo

Responses:

Dreamingofani: Consider this chapter dedicated to you. It was your review that inspired the first part of this chapter. How? Well, you made my deicide that maybe I didn't want her dead in the final outcome… Thanks, I keep trying new things with this story, so having a little bit of everything, I wasn't really sure it blended all together. 

Choirgrlalex: Yeah, dialogue. I'm working on that. I think it got closer to the characterizations by the fourth chapter, but I've always had problems with mixing dialogue with characterizations. Thanks! I just love the reviews I get, the good and the bad. 

Lovewildfire: Did you have to go read 'Across the Black Sea?' It is one of the worst things I've ever written! I'm glad you found something good about it though. I'll probably rewrite the entire thing one day with a lot more detail and plotline. Thanks, and Niobe still has a part to play! ^_~ And now we'll have an air chase scene. This is going to be one of the most interesting things I've ever written. Neo, dodging bullets while flying and holding Trinity… I'll have more emphasis on the reactions of Niobe's death in the next chapter. Ok, well they neutralize Bane, but they did the next best thing. It just happened to cause a bad reaction…

Diamond-Dancer: All songs are good at the appropriate timing.  Well, except it will be a long time before I write a songfic that isn't Lord of the Rings Humor oriented. I'll look it up as soon as I find the time. I love my reviewers' opinions. Nothing they say is stupid to any decent author. Well, they are a flamers that need to get a life if they don't have anything useful to say, but I just find them funny anyway. Sorry, I'm rambling. I tend to do that in reviews, but I've never done that while talking to my reviewers. It must be that I like talking to people over fanfiction. Pick a subject, and I'll ramble away…

Aquarian Wind: Hi! Niobe still has a part to fulfill in this story. Of course, I never think ahead in my fanfictions, so who knows where she'll be. Did that answer your question about the building with no code? It's moved itself!!! That'll be explained eventually…


	7. On the Building that Moves

Author's Notes: Happy Lammas everyone! I have a feeling I'm going to get some weird stares over that. Well, if I couldn't spell the proper name for it and I know Word isn't going to correct it for me. 

Come Back to Me: Chapter 7

Trinity had done plenty of suicidal things in her short life outside of the Matrix. There had even been a few times that she didn't want to live through them. There was once that she had gone to check on her old family, opened the front door, and found a gun pointed in her face. It had cost two lives to pull her out of that one. She had even refused to go back into the Matrix for months of guilt-ridden self-pity. That was a small dent in her emotional control compared to this. 

They had backtracked and were now sitting on top of a commercial building in lounge chairs. To be precise, they were sitting on top of the moving building with the programmers inside. According to Neo, no agents were within a mile of them, but that did not give much reassurance. "So, you would rather the Architect finish us off instead of the agents?" Trinity asked as she reclined a bit further. 

"Were you with us when we saw that movie in the Matrix about a year ago?" Neo asked pleasantly as if they had not a thing in the world to worry about. It made Trinity want to slap him for his cockiness. 

"The Two Towers? The one we almost got to see the ending to before the agents attacked us? What does have anything to do with this situation?" Trinity demanded. They were talking about the movies in a time like this?!

"'The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm," Neo quoted. Trinity narrowed her eyes suspiciously behind her darkened glasses. 

"We're doing this on the advice on a booked-based movie? Tell me you went insane well after I fell in love with you," Trinity nearly growled. Her teeth were ground back in attempt to keep herself from jumping him.

"Actually, not all of it. The agents don't think we're stupid enough to be this close to the programmers with them searching both the streets and the skies for us. To them, we're not suicidal enough to be this close to the programmers. So, we're safe for now from them," Neo tried to explain. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes as his said this. 

"What are you planning? If it gets me killed, I'm coming back to haunt you," Trinity sighed in defeat. It was probably going to get both of them killed. 

"We're waiting. Then. I'm going to change the code on my phone, so they can't track it a hundred miles away. Then, more waiting," Neo added in suspense.

"For what?" Trinity asked in exasperation. 

"For Link to work fast under a lot of pressure to help destroy this building, attract every agent around here, and get us out of here alive. It all comes down to timing," Neo stated for a dramatic pause.

"We're dead," Trinity groaned inwardly. Timing and pressure did not go well together when you added agents, bombs, and programmers in the mix.

"At least we'll die together this time." Trinity saw a flicker of that naivety that had stayed with Neo for so long. It was like meeting him for the first time again. Those seeking, innocent, pretty eyes.  

"Then whose going to bring us back? The dead themselves?" Trinity retorted. A smile tugged at the edge of her frozen lips though. 

"The dead have other things to worry about. What happened to that bomb that Link sent?" Neo asked as he scanned the sky. 

Answering him, Trinity missed the slight tensing of his shoulders. "Did he send it at all? It hasn't gone off." Neo visibly relaxed as Trinity sent him a questioning glance.

He shrugged off her glance while answering her earlier question. "If it goes off between now and the time we get out of here ('if' Trinity added), we should be out of range of the blast."

"Should?" Oh, this was getting better and better.

"I have no way to tell from here. I'm not ever sure where here is. This building stands out because right now, we're sitting on thin air from what I can see," Neo as he studied the floor for any trace patterns.

"And if this building moves again while we're sitting on it? I doubt they'll include us in their new coding. We're not part of one of their programs," Trinity inquired almost wistfully. 

"We're like viruses to them," Neo added. 

"Except they can't delete us whenever they choose," Trinity stated firmly. To her elief, Neo grinned. 

"Exactly, so that's why we're waiting," Neo declared smugly. 

"We don't need to depend on Link to get us killed. You're going to do it for him," Trinity shook her head in half-hearted irritation.

Neo shrugged. That stupid grin never left his face. "You won't die without killing Persephone first."

"Damn straight," Trinity muttered. She didn't know whether to kiss him or kill him. She decided to kiss him. She could always kill him for this 'little' stunt later.

Link muttered to himself to himself as crossed another set of wires. Because of a slight miscalculation, half the wires were burned out and the rest needed replacing anyway. It was a near miracle that Trinity and Neo were still alive at all. Actually, for the amount of time they had been in there nothing had changed about their appearances or heart rates. It was as if they weren't even being noticed by the agents.

Static could be heard from the control room. "Morpheus, can you take a look at that?" Link shouted as he shut the door to the power box that controlled. Rolling out from under the low platform, he tried again. "Morpheus!" 

Hearing no reply, Link made his way to the control room. Sparks shot out at him from the doorway. Gritting his teeth against the pain that the electricity was sending through his body, he reached what was left of their communications system. Severe static could be heard around a call for help.

"Is…..anyone…..there? The….have…taken….over….trapped…." Link frowned over the machine. It had become a one-way radio during the first blackout. It could be useful to fix if someone tried to call, but they had other problems at the moment. Deciding that it wasn't his first priority, Link headed back towards the main platform. The lights still needed fixing. 

Running his right hand over the circuits with his right hand with a flashlight in his left, he felt around for the main wire. Finding it, he pulled out the main wire. It gave him another electrical shock, but it wasn't enough to knock him out. Using his pocketknife, he cut the wire in half. Reinserting the blue wire, he crossed the red underneath of it. He had been working hours at this already with Eizus looking after Aurelie. She had a dangerously high fever, but their medic had been able to give her something for that. The hallucinations were as bad as ever though.

"Link?" Morpheus asked from the darkness of the silent room. Link banged his head on the platform above him. 

"Ow, now that hurt," Link complained for the first time. Link rubbed his head as ducked out from underneath the platform. "Don't sneak up on people like that."

"I wouldn't call it sneaking. My footsteps could be heard for a mile in this place," Morpheus retorted.

"You could still give a guy a warning," Link muttered. 

"You called for my help earlier?" Morpheus asked with an almost impatient glare. 

"Someone tried to contact us for help. Something about the machines taking over," Link answered as he ducked back under the platform. 

"We can't help them," Morpheus finally answered as he sat on the stairs. 

"Why? Shouldn't be too hard when we get our two stragglers back," Link mumbled with the wrench between his teeth.

"Those two stragglers shouldn't be straggling in the first place. It's too close to Zion to rescue anyone in that area calling for help," Morpheus shook his head sadly.

A.N. I'm so sorry this is so short, but I have gotten a really bad case of writer's block today. Ack!!! 

Attention Everyone! I need you guys to vote on something for me. Do you want me to do a chapter in either an agent's POV or the Architect's POV? First person or third? I'm thinking that this will help bring me out of this writer's block. Oh, and I'm really sorry but I want be able to give personal thanks do to the fact that fanfiction.net deleted some of my reviews on chapter 6. Gr…. Ja ne ~Insane Pineapple from Naboo 


	8. Inside the mind of the enemy

Author's Notes: It's good to be writing again. Band practices and school, have been holding me up. Good news: I finished a story that I had put on hiatus for a year and a half. Bad news: I have another story that's been stuck on hiatus for a few months now. Good news: I'm going to finish this story before restarting this one. I said that I would finish this before _Revolutions_ comes out, and I'm determined to make that happen. 

Come Back to Me: 

Where are they? None of the agents' scanning came back positive. The only building that the scanners cannot pick up on is this one, and we have enough security to keep track of every disgusting human being so where are they?! Their signal simply disappeared for an instant, then flickered to another location. This program is the perfect design, moderated by every spare programmer we have. I wrote that program, and thus it cannot be disrupted. Every human being is being watched, controlled, and tolerated at this point. All but two. Damn them.

In the beginning, the perfect world was so easy to maintain. Everyone loved one another, and everyone lived in peace. I then created one flaw, one imperfection that almost led to my demise. I made one mistake, and it nearly cost me everything I have worked for. Curiosity had gotten the better of me, even I cannot deny that, but it soon spread to obsession. What if the world wasn't such a perfect place for these ineffectual humans? Wouldn't it be interesting to watch them hunt each other? 

It was simple really; I only needed to loosen my grasp on their pitiful subconscious. Let my hold on them slip suddenly. One click of a key, and it was done. One click of a key, and I was damned to hell for eternity. They started thinking for themselves, and I couldn't regain control. The order now reined chaos in every city, every town. Disputes soon turned into wars, and there was only one thing I could do. I made the perfect machines like myself, but ones that had no minds of their owns. They might not have been agents in the beginning, but they were viruses that spread like wildfire. 

There were few that defied out attempts, but those few what were formed the resistance. That resistance nearly brought us to our knees that very first time. It hadn't been expected, and that turned very quickly into a fatal flaw. We were no longer fighting their minds; we were fighting them physically. Worst yet, they were the get in, get out type. They nearly cost our perfect system to crash, and I had redesigned the program from scratch. The only things that kept us running was the billions of humans we still had under our control. They hadn't died; they had merely blacked out and waited for our next command. 

Dependence. We had crushed the resistance, but we still depended on them as they had depended on us for thousands of years. The bitter irony would have left a metallic taste in my mouth if I had a mouth. One would always control the other, but the other always resisted. It was futile for the moment, but eventually they might break free of the strong grasp. The next five worlds always ended up in the same, with one man that had the powers. That one man was always responsible for the downfall of Zion, but Zion had been getting bolder. They were attacking from inside the matrix with technology that was not from their time. Every time, the One had chosen to save humanity over Zion. It had been easy to recreate the program based on that alone. Not this time. This time alone, the One had chosen his beloved over humanity. Damned the consequences and in his ignorance, had succeeded in saving those close to him and humanity. How could he have known that we couldn't live without the humans?

The one could and would not be allowed to live. The final battle was coming, he could feel it in the very fibers of his bones. Wires, same thing. The world was turning, lighting flashed unusually so. For the first time, he could not tell the final outcome. The only thing clear was that the drastic battle for humanity was approaching. A new twilight was approaching as the sky darkened into the blackest of nights overhead. The stars revealed nothing as they usually did, and the ground shook beneath him. How could the program be deteriorating this fast? Looking out the darkened window, he growled as he found no agents in sight. 

Slamming his hand down on the keyboard in front of him, the Architect glared at the monitors. It showed the pinpointed location of the One and one of his companions, but they were steadily moving away from the agents. When the dots finally stopped, he growled in frustration. It showed them to be right of top of his location, but how could they be that stupid? They weren't, which meant another flaw in his near perfect design. The agents showed to be combing the entire city, and they were starting to branch out in the different directions. Even with the agents, he was the greater threat. They wouldn't go closer to him to get away from the agents. Or would they?

When he first met the One of this time, he knew there was something different about him. He shrugged it off as possibly the One accepting fate sooner. He should have seen the difference before it happened. The One was not supposed to save the ones he had come to known outside of Zion. The One was destined to try and save Zion, but this time there was a difference. He hadn't been trying to save _Zion_ at the last minute after the wrong choice. He had only cared about saving his love who should have died a slow and painful death. The One had never discovered the powers of life and death until now. 

He had risked everything for one person. Why? He had always understood the simplicity of the human mind. It was what made them easy to control, and control was easy to maintain once in his grasp. One choice, one moment, one man. The consequences should have been easy to maintain even under the circumstances. The virus hadn't been expected of Agent Smith, but it had temporarily worked to his advantage. He had sent machines to destroy their ship except it had backfired in a way that was completely unexpected. It had been thousands of years since his last plan had gone wrong, and that was the start of the rebellion. 

He headed to the stairs that led to the very top of the building. He had some reports to process, none of which were good by the sounds of it. Besides, he needed more time to think, and he had to find those blasted agents. They were supposed to be doing their jobs, now where were they?

My life used to be simple. Day in and day out, I would jump from host to host in search of the resistance. Occasionally, I would find one and the chase would be on. Only those of Morpheus' crew would elude me every time. They were the only human beings not entirely inferior to me. Their intelligence surpassed even mine when it came to strategy and concept. We might find their poor targets, but we would get there first. They would always come out alive. That was until Mr. Anderson and the betrayer Cypher. There's always a leak in security.

Mr. Anderson wasn't someone extraordinarily special. Yes, he had broken every law we had set out when under the alias of Neo, but hundreds, even thousands of hackers did that everyday. It was not an uncommon occurrence to us that happened completely followed the directions Morpheus had been giving him. They had successfully 'bugged' him, and threw him back into his home. He was just another hacker, another person who disrupted the code of the matrix for his own purposes. They had severely underestimated his importance in the scheme of things. 

It was very rare for even Morpheus to pursue a hacker once they had been marked. They had him debugged and woken up from the matrix. Did they know something that the Architect did not? Slim chances, but it was possible even from the confines of this created world. Unsure of this, I tempted Cypher with the chance of getting out of matrix. We needed the access codes, and was the leak. We could have actually gotten him out of the matrix of course, but we probably would have thanked him and killed him. Why keep him around when he was no longer useful to us? 

Another ten minutes and we would have gotten the codes. Our informant was too cocky for his own good. Half the ship was killed, but it left Mr. Anderson and Trinity. Two capable fighters on a suicide mission was bad enough. Two capable fighters on a suicide mission with nothing to lose was worse. They almost blew the building out of the sky before an agent intercepted them. I never knew how he was fast enough to dodge those bullets before he became the One, but I really have to thank him for it. 

They got Morpheus out alive, and the loss didn't really affect me all that much. The Architect might not be in the happiest mood, but Mr. Anderson was the only one I wanted. By this time, he interested me; he gave me a purpose to stay in this world just a little while longer. I must admit that had I been human, he would have killed me down in the subway station. Instead, I tracked his destination and waited. It didn't take long with my companions herding him towards me. It gave me great satisfaction to kill Mr. Anderson. When he tore the body I was residing in apart, I don't know where I ended up.

All I knew was, Mr. Anderson had freed me. I could now travel through the matrix and out of the matrix at will. I now found that I could multiply myself as well. I now only had one purpose, but after awhile it became an obsession. I needed to fight Mr. Anderson again, but I was not yet strong enough. I gathered an army of myself starting with Bane. I didn't myself to him, but I split my coding to interfere with his. One by one, I multiplied myself. Then, the fateful day came upon us as I challenged Mr. Anderson in the park. Nothing could have prepared me for the rush of emotions escalating from every part of me. 

I knew that Mr. Anderson had had gone up in power, but I didn't know that he could take all of me on at once. I also didn't know yet that he could fly. The One can't be undefeatable because the Architect wasn't foolish enough to program him that way. He was damn near to it though. I tried to turn Mr. Anderson into another one of me, but he wouldn't turn quite as easily as Bane did. Instead, he nearly destroyed the parts of me that tried to turn him. I guess we are truly meant to stay enemies then. 

I kept track of him while he searched for the keymaker. I watched with interest as he stopped bullets in midair, and flew a couple hundred miles form the mountains back to New York City. Always study your opponent before making an attack. I made that mistake once, and I would not do that again. Following Neo, Morpheus, and the Keymaker I tried to turn Morpheus into another one of me. Unfortunately, Mr. Anderson had to be there to save his captain. I couldn't meet the Architect again for obvious reasons. I didn't want to be some specimen for my old boss to study. Machines shouldn't study other machines; it was unethical. 

Well, I'm no longer a machine anymore, am I? Today was the first time I had seen Mr. Anderson in a month or so. I've seem to have lost track of time while floating around programs. I very well near ran into the oracle the other day. Seems I make a habit of running into betrayers. Or maybe they're just attracted to me because I used ot deal with all sorts of riffraff. Did I just use a human slang term? Just the thought of using any form of their decrepit language makes me shudder inside. Or, wait. I can't shudder, can I? All this human philosophy is going to my coded database that should no longer exist.

I'm not exactly sure what I am now. I was a contaminating virus according to my old database, but now that Mr. Anderson has set me free, maybe I'm a spreadsheet that updates itself. I could even be a program in my own right, but that would put irony to the test. The only place I cannot travel is Zion. Not a single one of me can reach inside its devastated walls without being decapitated by a hundred machines. I know that there's a lot of me, but I would like to stay in one piece. The sheer power of the place could kill any human within a hundred miles. So, I sent a signal out to Morpheus' ship for help. I was only curious to see if they would respond. 

Of course, they didn't. The rest of me is looking for Mr. Anderson at this moment. Come out, come out, wherever you are. There is no one in this city with coding exactly like Mr. Anderson, you must understand this by now. I should be able to spot him a hundred feet away. Thus, I know exactly where he is right at this moment. However, unlike Mr. Anderson, I am not on a suicide mission. I am not going to march up to the Architect and tell him to kill me because I give up. How can I see him, and no other agent can? Because I'm looking directly at the main database for the matrix. It even looks as Mr. Anderson knows exactly what he's sitting on. I hope he has more than a C-12 to blow up the place this time. Maybe I will be truly free by then.

The ground looks as if it is shaking. I wonder why? The programs run on a main program, and that main program looks fine. What are you up to Mr. Anderson? I do not believe you actually think you are going to face the Architect and come out unscathed. Tsk, tsk, Mr. Anderson. When running from agents, you do not run to the Architect. Even you can not use the advantage of surprise. And putting your lady friend in harm's way as well. What must you have up your sleeve? I would have thought you would have tried to get out of the matrix by now. 

For now, this will be goodbye, Mr. Anderson. The last time I said these words, we ended on mutual terms. I killed you, you killed me, and yet we are both alive today. Stay alive Mr. Anderson because we have a fight to finish. If you do get yourself killed, don't expect me to cry over it though. I have a few people to find.

Author's Notes: Wow, I thought this chapter was going to sound forced. It actually brought me out of my writer's block. This is the last chance for plot requests. Do want one last fight between Neo and Smith? Persephone to get her ass kicked by Trinity? Merovingian to work his way back into the plot? The last just gave me an idea…..

Responses:

Lovewildfire: Ok, I ended up splitting the chapter instead of doing two chapters. I agree with you on the first person. It gave the chapter more background form firsthand experiences. I try to keep things interesting for the readers. A story that is easy to predict is no fun at all.

Satiana: You'll get to see the third person pov on the Architect in the next chapter. I kinda left you guys on too much of a cliffhanger, but the next chapter will be out next week. Definitely be some Architect/Trinity interaction. Not with the screens though. Even if I did get the Architect to turn around, and Trinity to go after him, there would be too much repeating dialogue to write. It would probably get boring after awhile. 

Aquarian Wind: Was it interesting? I hope so. If not, there will be plenty of action next chapter. I already have it planned. 

Sorry if I missed someone. Some of my reviews keep getting deleted for some reason. 


	9. Zion has risen again

Author's Notes: We had our first game to perform for yesterday. I still have the adrenaline, so expect action. ^_~

Come Back to Me: Chapter 9

Trinity wasn't even what had happened. One second, she had looked over at Neo away from the door. The next second, she had ten bullets stopped right in front of her. It took about ten seconds for her brain to catch up with what had happened. In those ten seconds, Neo had dived towards the Architect and they were now rolling dangerously towards the edge of the building. 

The gun had rolled back towards the door. Neo was hanging by his fingers on the side of the building. The Architect stood up, and dusted himself. Trinity inched towards Neo inconspicuously as Neo hoisted himself back onto the building. The movement caught the Architect's eye. He dropped kicked Trinity, and moved to sweep her feet out from under her. Instinct took over, and she sidestepped the Architect's dropkick. She was too close to the edge when the Architect tripped her up. Neo wasn't quick enough to grab for her. His fingers slipped through hers as true fear struck her eyes for the first time in years. He prepared to spring after her, but the cold metal of a handgun pressed into the back of his skull. 

"We wouldn't want you to do anything rash, now would we Mr. Anderson?" The metallic voice of Agent Johnson came from behind him. The sound of gunshots rang through the air as they fired towards Trinity's direction. The sound of breaking glass filled the air as several of the bullets shattered the side of the building. Neo spun around top break the agents arm. He flipped the agent off the building as he stopped the rest of the bullets in mid air. They dropped uselessly on top of the buildings. 

Now hell-bent on revenge, Neo only saw red as he attacked every agent on the building. He choked back the hot tears as he gave everyone who came across his path a bloody end. Not even the upgrades had seen this kind of fury. He let go of his sanity because nothing mattered anymore. She had been his lifeline, and he had failed to save her. If he died now, he would take every one of these forsaken machines with him. Something cracked down hard on his back, and he turned to see Agent Smith. 

"We meet again Mr. Anderson. At the end of all things, it comes down to the two of us. The Architect will not interfere while two of his enemies battle it out. Don't you agree, Mr. Anderson?" Smith asked with a bored tone. It was almost as if he was mocking him. 

"You were one of his creations. What changed?" Neo growled. He had gotten a shred of his sanity back, but it only led to suicidal thoughts. How could go on without Trinity?

"Why don't you ask him for yourself, Mr. Anderson?" The Architect drawled from behind him. He didn't take his eyes off Agent Smith as he answered,

"I set him free of your power. That's what went wrong. I set loose your most prized agent, and you wanted revenge. That's why you went after Trinity instead of going after me. You wanted to me lose the closest thing to me." Realization dawned on Neo. It truly was his fault that Trinity was gone. 

Architect barked out laughter as he clapped his hands. "Very good, Neo! I thought the loss of Zion would have been enough to break you, but it didn't turn out as expected. Also needed you dead for you were the only One to figure out how to save humanity and your beloved. Of course, you've lost her now. A rouge machine like Mr. Smith also couldn't just be left to do whatever he pleased. He was clever enough to make exact copies of himself, even I couldn't tell the real from the copies without actually going up to all of them. I know now though. There's a minor change in the coding that can only mean he was the rogue one. I'll watch one of you kill the other, and then I'll kill the other myself, no?" 

A silent look passed between the two enemies. One would think that Agent Smith and Neo were merely setting themselves up for battle. They were, but not against each other. "And why should we fight for you?" Agent Smith asked with an unusual gleam in his eyes.

"And why not? Neither one of you has anything left to lose," the Architect stated with an air of uncertainty. What were they planning? It could be conspiracy for they were renowned rebels. Rebels only did the expected.

Neo dove for Agent Smith, but Smith barrelrolled out of the way. Agent Smith used short jabs and punches as Neo blocked and placed his own. They were fighting a dance to the death in unison. One powerful right punch and one sharp left uppercut sent Neo flying into the door and Smith spinning towards the far side of the roof. Neo withdrew one of his poison-tip daggers, and sent it sailing towards Smith. Smith fired a round a bullets towards Neo, but Noe stopped them in midair. He then rerouted the bullets to fire right back at Smith. 

Agent Smith dodged all of the bullets in slow motion. Smith somersaulted to avoid Neo's second poison-tip dagger. The leapt in the air towards each other, and Neo twisted Smith onto his back as the hit the ground hard. In normal conditions, he would have groaned from the pain, but it left Smith with the perfect opportunity. Smith reached up with his legs to twist the small handgun out of the Architects grasp. Architect was caught unaware, but was not unprepared. The handgun was gone, but he was still able to catch Smith's legs between his arms. 

Smith groaned as the Architect twisted his left leg hard enough to dislocate it. Smith watched in horror as his body turned to coding before his eyes. Neo backed away from Smith as his coding deleted itself. "Curse you!" Smith shouted as he disappeared forever from the matrix. 

"Where did you send him?" Neo asked as he watched the Architect like a hawk. The Architect couldn't do that to him since he wasn't created by the Architect in every sense of the word, but he didn't hurt to avoid his touch in that very case. 

"Think about it, Neo. Where do I eventually send all my machines?" If the Architect wanted to play games, then games it was. 

"Zion. Why aren't your agents attacking then?" Neo growled as he circled the Architect. He'd be ready to strike or fly at any time. The Architect was only correct on one thing. The only thing he had left to lose was the hope for the real world. It kept him alive because it was what Trinity had fought. He would keep her memory alive. 

"Look up." The laughter no longer remained in the Architect's voice. It was a look of….annoyance? What could possibly be that far out of the Architect's control. Curiosity got the better of Neo and he did look up. He expected to see the agents training their weapons on him. He expected to see the sky full of helicopters and automatic scanners that led to the building. What he didn't expect to see was World War III. 

It looked as if all of Zion were waging war on the agents. Occasionally, he would see a helicopter crash into one of the nearest buildings. The agents would climb out of the wrecked scraps of metal only to be attacked by…ghosts? Spirits? He wasn't sure. He gaped as the small figure of Mouse tore into one of the agents. They were doing exactly as he done to free Agent Smith. They weren't deleting the code as he had intended, but they were changing it. Why?

He could hear Niobe's voice above him as she barked orders out to people. They weren't flying as he did; instead, they seemed to hover in the air. It reminded him of the way Trinity suspended in air… No, he told himself sternly. That train of thought was a dangerous path at the present time. 

They strangest thing was that, the people of Zion remained unscathed. Yes, they weren't technically alive, but how could they be solid? Actually, he didn't know if they were alive or not. The figures of Tank, Dozer, and Zee lowered down behind him. He didn't have to turn around to know who they were either. "_Neo_," Zee's voice came from so far away. "_Neo, please_." He had refused to look at them before. It was his fault that they were dead. He reluctantly looked at them now. "_Live on with your life. Tell Link, I love him. I'll always be with him."_

"_It was Cypher's doing, not yours. We'll be at peace now. Please, say goodbye to Trinity and Morpheus for us. This was our last chance,_" Dozer pleaded with Neo. It jarred Neo back to reality. Why did the irony of all things affect his life? Why did everyone have to die so that the One could save the spirit of the fallen city?

"You can tell Trinity yourself, Dozer," Neo answered. His last hopes were gone for Trinity. One tiny spark of faith seemed to remain. Why couldn't they let Trinity go?

"_She couldn't be dead. We would know,"_ Tank's voice also sounded so far in the distance. It pained him to hear their words of solace. Denial had not taken him as hard as it had taken them. Why couldn't they see it?

"I saw her die, Tank. She's gone," Neo's speech was laced with his tears. It was all too much to take at once. He didn't want to be strong anymore. 

"_She can't be,_" Tank whispered as he dropped to his knees. She had always been the strong one of the group. Switch, Apoc, Mouse, and Niobe also lowered beside them. Neo barely managed to hold back the flood of tears. He wanted to see them all again, but not like this. 

"She's gone. I'm the one who killed her," the Architect stated madly. The air was suddenly free of agents. Not a single one was in sight, but the building was surrounded by the people of Zion suspended in air. 

"Think again," Trinity's voice came from the door. Her shirt was soaked in blood, and scratches lined all of her visible, but she was there. A sleek handgun was in her left hand pointed towards the Architect. Her right arm hung uselessly at her side, but the determination lined her features. 

A pindrop was heard a few floors down. The sounds of keys filled the noiseless air as it seemed that all of New York had stopped to watch. Her hardly dared to breathe as he saw the differences between her and the people of Zion. They were unscathed, and she was completely covered in injuries. 

But she was alive. 

A.N.: I want a show of hands. How many people actually thought I killed my favorite character? Sorry, I know I shouldn't have done that to you guys. Alright, do you guys want a flashback for the next chapter or for me to continue on now, and come back to the flashback in a later chapter? The flashback would follow Trinity from the time she fell off the building up to now. If I get enough reviews from you guys, *wink, wink* I'll write the next chapter next weekend for you guys. Well, you could leave yourselves in suspense by not reviewing, but I couldn't really blame myself if the chapter took longer. Actually, I just need to know what you guys want me to write first. Ja ne ~Insane Pineapple from Naboo

Responses:

Satiana: *whistles innocently* I'll have both Persephone and Merovingian back into the plot. I already have it all worked out on that end, but unfortunately Neo just isn't going to be able to stop Trinity from doing whatever she wants to do to Persephone. *sighs dramatically* Its just so tragic. Ok, maybe not…

Sloans_interrogator: Hope you enjoyed it. This story still a ways left to go; I can promise you that. I'm just kind of letting myself go with the plotline of this story. Only my insane mind knows what is going to happen.

Divamercury: Your wish is my command. I already have that planned out. Wow, this is the first story that I've actually known what was going to happen beforehand. Scary…

Lovewildfire: hey! It's my favorite reviewer. I worked in Agent Smith just for you. He's still around…somewhere. Well, somewhere in Zion anyway. Persephone is going to seriously regret ever touching Neo. I think I might do Merovingian separately than Persephone. Now, I simply am going to have to write at least five more chapters just to balance out all the action with romance. Lots of other things happening as well.


	10. Relief

Author's Notes: You guys should know that I would never kill Neo or Trinity. Ever. Just thought I should remind you guys. Sorry it took me so long to get this one out. Mom just short of crashed my computer, and I had to spend half a week reinstalling everything. 

Come Back to Me: Chapter 10

Trinity fell in slow motion towards the ground below. In one last-ditch effort to save herself as the bullets reined down on her, she forced herself through an office window. She cried out as the glass shards bit into her skin. She could almost see the bullets as they hit the glass around her. She stayed low to the ground for several moments before pushing her protesting body off the stained carpet. Trinity knew she caked in blood that had yet to stop flowing, but there was nothing she could do about it. 

            Leaning against the wall, she yanked a particularly large piece of glass out of her arm. It felt like diving through the window once more, but she bit her tongue in respite. She tore off a piece of her leather shirt and pressed it to the wound. Trinity had long since lost her sunglasses, and her clothes were torn in many different places. The room was covered in glass and blood, but nobody was in sight. Reaching the splintered desk, she tried the phone. She cursed as no dial tone was heard, and set to hotwiring the phone line. 

            Several minutes later, a dial tone could be heard. Trinity's finger flashed across the phone as she dialed the operator. "Trinity! Where are you?" Link overexcited voice came from the other line.

            "Lucky to be alive. Inside the Architect's mainframe. Have you got power back yet?" Trinity asked hurriedly. She had to find out if Neo was still alive. 

            "Back and fully operational. What do you need?" Link asked eagerly. He had felt so helpless before, and now was the time to redeem himself. 

            "A special bomb designed to blow up this building. Have you heard of it?" Trinity asked while tapping her foot impatiently. They needed to stop the idle chatter.

            "The D6-17? Of course. I'll send it right over to you. You'll have fifteen minutes to go get Neo away from the blast. Anything else?"

            Trinity brushed it away. "We'll need an exit. Is there one close enough to get to in time." 

            "Only one. Sure you want to do this?" Link asked in desperate acceptance. 

            "We don't have a choice." Trinity hung up the phone and edged out of the door. 'Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean no one's watching.' She thought to herself. When she reached the stairs, she jogged up them as best as she could.

            I'll be damned if Neo dies because I have bad timing, she thought as she shot her last bullet towards the Architect. He ducked, but it gave her the momentum to push herself and Neo off the building. "Fly towards Ridge and Elm. We have about a minute to get out of here," she whispered into his ear. He nodded against her. 

            Trinity gasped as she felt Niobe's rough voice against her neck. Neo seemed not to have noticed, but it felt icy-hot against her skin. She shivered in Neo's embrace before turning to face the apparition. "Tell Morpheus I never left him. I'll always be with him." The singsong voice left nothing to the imaginary void. In another time, another place, another world, everything had ended in tragedy. In this world, time, and place everything had ended in clam serenity.

            Neo placed the cool metal of the phone against her ear. Trinity gasped as Link slid the metal rod out of her head. Blood trickled down her chin as she sat up. She sighed in relief as most of the green coding from the vanished from the screen seconds after Neo had been released. Morpheus sat deep in his own thoughts as Trinity relayed Niobe's message to him. Neo added in his own messages from the people of the past. 

            "We all lived out our lives to our best ability, and nothing could have changed that," Morpheus' soft voice echoed from the walls.

            "We still have people to save from themselves. They can't climb out of the pods themselves," Link popped in cheerfully. We handed Neo and Trinity each a wool blanket. 

            "This is gonna take years!" Eizus yelled in disbelief from the doorway. Trinity grinned at him broadly. 

            "We'll throw you into the med bay then to help unplug people, so they can rebuild Zion," Trinity added in mischief as she sat in front of Neo. His arms wrapped around her snugly, and he dropped a chaste kiss on her neck. 

            Eizus gave her a look of horror. "We have to unplug all of those people? I'll rebuild Zion brick by brick myself if I have to." 

            "Hopefully, you won't have to do that, Eizus," Neo said with all seriousness. The mirth in his eyes gave him away. 

            "How are we going to get rid of all the machines?" Aurelie piqued up from the door behind Eizus. Eizus was still glaring at Trinity, Neo, and Link who had just now stifled their laughter. 

            Link put his arm around Eizus' shoulders. "That's the beauty of the D6-17. It sends a transmission from the matrix to the real world to destroy the mainframe inside and out. All machines that depend on the matrix have been destroyed."

            "Then why haven't we shut down again for good?" Neo asked Trinity in front of him. 

            "We don't depend on the matrix. We can jack into the matrix, but we don't depend on it. We're running off currents from Zion at the moment. Link, if wee leave now, how long would it take us to get to the fields?" Neo grimaced from hearing of the fields. He had hoped that he would never have to return there.

            "If we make good time, it should take us no longer than a day. Captain?" Link wasn't quite sure so he had to ask anyway.

            "A day at most," Morpheus confirmed from the cockpit. Neo startled to hear Morpheus from there. When had he left the room?

            "Any sentinels on the radar for miles?" Morpheus asked casually. It was if they were talking about an everyday subject. Well, for the real world, it was an everyday subject. 

            "Neo checked the long distance radar from above him. "There are five that are down in the seawall, but have not a single drop power running." Link cheered and ran to hug Aurelie. She laughed gleefully and Eizus sighed in relief. 

            "Clear to go Captain!" Link shouted as a few sparks of green coding raced across the screen in front of him. 

            "How many times have I asked you to stop calling me that?" Morpheus called.

            "Once more and once again, Captain." They could hear Morpheus groan from the cockpit. Eizus and Aurelie exited the room in favor of sleep. "Wake me for second watch," Aurelie threw over her shoulder.

            Neo frowned slightly as he glanced over Link's shoulder. "Can this guy not stay dead?"

            "'fraid not. It gives me an idea, though," Trinity murmured in her thoughts.

            "Don't make her suffer too much. We have other things to worry." Link shook his head as he gave Trinity and Neo long looks. 

            "Sorry, Link, but I can't promise you anything," Trinity added as she sat back down in one of the older chairs. Dust scattered around her. 

            "If Morpheus finds out about this…." Link warned as glared the green coding in front of him. It changed rapidly at speeds that hadn't been seen before.

            "He won't, Link."

            "It'll be our little secret…."

            Link sighed in defeat. Don't get yourselves killed. With my luck, I'd be the one digging your graves. Don't expect a nice tombstone either to go with that."

            "With any luck, Link, none of us will have to dig anybody's grave for a long time," Neo added. His grin showed his unusual near vampire teeth that people rarely saw. 

            "Show them why people don't mess with the two of you then."

            A phone rang in the background. Coding scrolled down the screen faster than Link could read. "We know you're out there. We know who you are, and we know where you are. You have no purpose, no weapon against us. We have everything against you. We're coming for you, so don't expect to live another age. Before you hang up, listen to one little piece of advice, We'll give you a ten second head start before we rip you to pieces." Trinity hung up the phone and turned to face Neo in the void. "I always wanted to do that."

Author's Notes: A little bit shorter than usual, but a few chapters left before all good things come to an end. Hopefully, I'll have no computer problems between now and then. Only a few more weeks before November 5th and I will have this done. 

Responses: 

Midnight's Trinity: Trin is my favorite character too. I could never even think of killing off Trinity. *shudders* Scary thoughts.

Divamercury: I have a stalker! Yay! Just kidding, but I'm glad you like my story enough to volunteer for that job. I kinda did a combination of both, so I'm not really sure how it turned out. Flashbacks aren't really my best form of writing. 

Lovewildfire: I kept on with the suspense for about a page, then tied it together and brought cheer back into the story. I love to keep my readers interested. I hope you liked how I did this chapter, but it seemed a little rushed to me. 

Satiana: Poor unknown dorm person. You probably didn't have to do that in this chapter though. I tried to give it a lighter mood without sounding too final. More action to be expected next chapter, but hopefully no near death experiences for Trinity. Depends on my mood really.

Aquarian Wind: Oh, you'll get to see some serious ass kicking next chapter. I'll have to brush up on my action writing. I'll update next week if I'm not too dead tired from my double competition.

Jess: Yes, these are responses to reviews. I like talking to my reviewers, and they talk to me. It's a good way to see what they want in the future. 


	11. Inside the Chateau

Author's Notes: I'm really sorry if the formatting for this chapter is screwed up. If it doesn't come out right, I'll do my best to fix it. This wouldn't be a problem if I were using my own computer. 

Come Back to Me: Chapter 11

Neo had expected close to no coding left in the matrix. Indeed, there was close to none, but random streams of coding ran wild across his line of vision. It looked as if the Merovingian had stopped running. He was waiting in the shadows of nothingness that was once the matrix. It was to his home advantage, and traps lie ahead in the dark gloom. There was no air left, no oxygen, Neo breathed. He breathed in the sweetness of having finally reached his goal. As long as the lived, the y had won. 

The streamline of coding had increased now. They were starting to form actually bits of objects now, and it seemed as if they were closing in on the Merovingian. They would have to break the coding down section by section, but it would insure that they would never have to go into the matrix again. 

It was nearly over.

Neo grinned. 

The chateau's coding had been changed, yes, but it was still the chateau in all of its magnificent grandeur. This time, there would be no hidden doorways, no places to hide. It was a fight to the finish, and there would no more matrixes to live through. It was at the end of all things. 

The polished door shone innocently in barren waste. Knocking was fruitless in this stage of survival, so they strode into the building with army boots clacking on the freshly polished floor. They paid no heed to the skid marks left in their wake. They had been expecting an entrance hall with majestic chandeliers gracing the wing. They hadn't expected to find several locked doors as soon as they entered the building. 

"How good were you at gambling, Neo," Trinity asked as she ran her hand along the first door. Some of the finish chipped off under her sharp nails. 

"Gambling was a game that got you killed in New York City," Neo answered as he studied the coding of each door. The Merovinigian only knew that he could stop in mid-air and fight several men at once. Who said it had anything to do with the coding of the matrix? By law, there shouldn't even be any coding left in the matrix, but the Merovinigian has once again eluded their grasp. 

Neo stuck has hand through the coding of the door. It didn't hurt; why should it? It was only coding. He felt the lock click into place, and he removed his hand. He followed Trinity in through the door. Neo found himself in the same hallway as when they walked in a few months ago. The double staircase had been repaired, and the bodies had been removed, but it was still the same hallway. He nodded to Trinity as he took a few steps up the left staircase. Trinity took the right staircase, but he got the brunt of the blast.

Fire and bullets reigned down on them from all directions but the center. With little more than a thought, Neo had stopped most of the fire, and a few of the bullets. Trinity had flipped over the rail at some point to come face to face Persephone. Persephone was holding a silver handgun to center of Trinity's forehead with an absolute steady hand. Trinity took the momentary precision force Persephone's arm up to make a clean break. 

Persephone clawed the right side of Trinity's face with her good arm, and kicked out beneath her. Trinity suspended herself above the ground and kicked Persephone back into the far wall. Persephone seemed to fade back into the wall. A click behind her made Trinity freeze. "I see you've met my twin, Trinity," Persephone voice came from behind her. 

"I didn't think you would brave enough to face me yourself, Persephone," Trinity set up.

"Oh? Well, you have limited resources, and I'm holding a gun to your head. What would Neo do if my finger slipped…" Persephone's slid down to the trigger release. Persephone didn't get a chance to touch the trigger as she was lifted into the air at Neo's eye level. Neo tossed Persephone's gun back down to Trinity. He released Persephone, and walked through the next hall. 

"Don't even think about it," Trinity ordered as Persephone rose to go after Neo. She held her arm at a perfect parallel to the floor as she aimed as Persephone's heart. It was an impossible shot to miss. 

"Bitch," Persephone growled as she circled Trinity. Trinity moved in sync with her. 

"Only to people who touch _my_ man," Trinity snarled back. It took every effort she had not to shoot Persephone on the spot. She needed to buy Neo time. 

"What would happen if he falls in love with someone more worthy of him," Persephone smirked as Trinity visibly went rigid. 

"How very thoughtful of you," Trinity voiced laced sarcasm as she lunged at Persephone. The gun seemed to have disappeared as Trinity used to a right upper cut to dislodge Persephone's jawbone. Persephone snarled as she dove for Trinity's exposed neck with her nails. Trinity caught Persephone in the kneecaps, and sent them both crashing to the floor. 

Trinity pinned Persephone to the ground with one arm, and caught Persephone's twin in the chest with the one. Persephone's eyes rolled back into her head as her skull made sharp contact with the floor. Persephone's twin writhed beneath her, and Trinity let go of Persephone to face the carbon copy. She flipped the twin up, and pinned her against the far wall. 

"Who are you?" Trinity seethed. Inside, she was enjoying every second of this physical torture to any replica of Persephone. 

"None of your damn business," the twin snapped. Trinity pulled sharply on the intricately braided hair. The twin silently cried out in pain.

"Wrong answer," Trinity answered pleasantly as she pulled just a little harder.

"Persephone's sister Iris," the dark haired girl cried. Trinity let go of the girl, and shoved her out of the way. 

"Get out of here before the whole place collapses," Trinity growled as she stalked after Neo. There were only a hundred ways he could have gone. Sounds of dragging could be heard behind Trinity as Iris tried to move Persephone. Foolish girl, neither one of them would get out alive at that pace. Trinity surveyed the damaged as she stepped over another body. 

Columns were lying in chunks scattered across the floor. Several victims of Neo littered the ground where they had tried to attack him all at once. It seemed as if Neo had to dodge flying curved daggers, swords, and bullets all at the same time. Trinity shook her head as she left the scene as it was. The gateway to the next scene was in shambles from the floor to the ceiling. If they had been trying to hide it from Neo, they didn't do a very good job at it. 

The next hallway had been left relatively in one piece. There were a few torn paintings where and there, but everything was lacking the carnage. High marble columns were still standing tall, and the floor lacked every once of rubble. The next entranceway seemed to barely be left standing in comparison. 

Trinity saw the room itself before she saw Neo and the Merovingian. It was not too when the destruction of the place filled the very essence of the air. Computers and wires trailed the ground where they had hit. It seemed as if someone had been tossed into a few of the computers. Seeing the crisscross trails of blood on the Merovingian's back didn't surprise her at all. Sparks flew up along the wires as she stealthily made her way over the two fighters. 

The Merovingian had been taking the most of the fight. A trickle of blood creased his forehead with what looked to have been dried blood on his scalp. The place just above his right knee was at an odd angle, and along with the deep gashes on his back, shallower gashes marred his sculpted arms. They seemed to be perfectly in their medieval sword dance. 

It was more of a waltz than an actually dance these days. Neo's feet crossed each other as he somersaulted off the perfect balanced table. Seconds later, the table had been cut perfectly in two by the Merovingian's sword. Neo drop kicked the Merovingian, but lost his timing in the process. The wounds from earlier caught up to Trinity as she slid down against one of the desks in blinding pain. 

Neo shifted just in time to avoid landing on a particularly sharp piece on monitor glass, but the Merovingian wasn't so lucky. He landed hard on CPU, and a piece a thick metal went sharply into his side. He cried out in agony as Trinity crawled to Neo. Her old wounds hadn't completely recovered, and she hadn't noticed in the fight with Persephone because she had been hell-bent on revenge. It had caught up to her now. 

Trinity collapsed on Neo in complete debility as he attempted to cover up some severe burns on his arms. She sighed in frustration at seeing glimpses of his wounds. "Did you really think you could hide these from me, Neo?" She laid her head down on his chest as one of the walls shattered around them. Bits of plaster graced Trinity's and Neo's hair. 

"No?" he smiled guiltily at her. She sighed against him.

"Neo, let's go home."

As it turned out, Morpheus had found out about their little escapade. Morpheus lectured them as Link poured a salve on Neo's burns. Trinity was wrapped up tight in a blanket, but she was still shivering with cold. Her fever had gone down, and the gashes on her body had turned a light pink. Not too many of the wounds had been reopened. 

"What the hell did you think you were doing? What would we have done if my first command and best soldier had gotten themselves killed?" Morpheus asked in a dangerously soft voice. Trinity had only heard that tone once before, and it made her flinch in knowing what was to come. 

"We took care of the rest of the problems in the matrix, Morpheus. Now that we know everyone's locations, we can build up their muscles again," Neo responded quietly. He hadn't been the subject to one of these arguments before, but he had heard others who had. 

"Morpheus, how long until we get to the fields," Trinity questioned enervated. At he wasn't yelling. Yelling would have made the pounding in her head ten times worse than it was already. Link glanced at her with something akin to sympathy. 

Morpheus' shoulders sagged in defeat. The lecture would have no affect on two people who had undergone physical abuse for extended periods of time. "We'll arrive in about half a days time. Get some sleep you two. We'll need you healthy when we arrive."

Her body protested as she leaned on Link for support. Neo goaned as his wounds scraped against the cloth of his shirt. They had survived this war, and they would survive a few minor injuries. On her way out, Trinity hesitantly put her hand on Morpheus' shoulder. "You've done all that you could. Niobe doesn't want you to live the rest of your life in regret. Mourn her and move on, but never forget." Morpheus nodded to her. It was an end to a revolution, but it was the beginning of new civilization. Of new life. 

Notes: *crosses fingers* Did I lose anybody? I always lost someone on action scenes in my other fanfictions. I hope not, but tell me if I did. I only have the epilogue to write, and it's so depressing! I don't want this story to end! Well, at least I finished it before Revolutions came out. I finally met a deadline. 

Responses: 

Midnight's Trinity: I'm depressed just by the fact that its going to end on November 5th. I want it to keep going so much! My fic started out depressing, became even more depressing, then completely went kick ass, and now its going to be happy. 

Divamercury: I've rhymed without knowing it before. It's a kinda strange feeling, isn't it? This one got out much faster than the last, but it's almost over! I'm not an emotional person usually, but I have a feeling I'm going to cry when this story is over. Maybe not, but I will cry when the matrix trilogy ends. 

Sunglasses-At-Night: Wish you could asked for more earlier. It's unfortunately almost over. 

Satiana: I was going to give those lines to Neo, but I didn't want my favorite character to be left out on all of the fun. It just fit her a little better than it did Neo. 

LadyAlexis384: The song fit in with my depressed mood that day. See why you shouldn't write when you're depressed? You end up killing off characters that didn't do anything to you. Bad days for writing. I should've written something under Harry Potter and killed off Draco. That would've made my day.

Lovewildfire: I hope you liked this chapter. Stop, I don't want it to end! No!!!!!

Ella: Yeah, I don't like having crossovers though. There is actually a roleplaying thread that I've read before that has middle earth as the matrix. Trinity will live on forever if I have anything to say about it. Ok, so I don't, but she'll live in all of my fanfictions. 

Aquarian Wind: I write good action? Wow, that's the first time I've heard that. Usually, people tell me that I rush things too much. Thanks! Gotta love Trinity's ass kicking. 


	12. Epilogue

Author's Notes: I will not cry. I absolutely am not going to cry. I refuse to cry in front of my readers. I'm going to cry.

Come Back to Me: Epilogue

Trinity knelt in front of polished gravestone. It had been fear as a child to step on a grave, but she swallowed that now for respect. Her fingers traced the neat script carved in the face so long ago. It had four years since the end of the war, four years since everything had finally come together. Revolutions. 

As a custom from her family, Trinity laid a wreath of morning glories at the bas of the grave. As a trained soldier, she hadn't been allowed to cry at the worst moments. Neo had taught her differently. Still, not a single tear left a trail on her softened face. Neo placed on hand on her shoulder.

"They're at peace now," Neo said softly. He overlooked the thousands of graves that had once been the old Zion. Niobe's grave had been surrounded by the old crew of the Nebuchanezzar. Tank, Mouse, Boozer, Switch and Apoc were in a tight circle that left only room for four people. Link had nearly joined that circle a year ago. They had died in battle as they had always wanted. 

"Do you think they would have wanted us to join them?" Trinity asked as she remembered the Zionites final fight. The faces of the past still haunted her dreams.

"They would have wanted us to fight to the end. We did," Neo whispered into her hair. It had grown out to shoulder length now, and they had even found a substitute for a decent shampoo. 

"We outlived the machines," Trinity sighed. She turned back to face the magnificent walls of the halfway rebuilt Zion. They were working their way back to the surface brick by brick. Most of the tunnels had collapsed when the sentinels had destroyed Zion on the first time, but those were slowly being dug back out. 

"They're waiting for you," Trinity called back playfully as she strode ahead towards the gates.

Neo groaned loudly in complaint. The Zionites had tried to give Neo leadership over the city, but Neo had at once given the title over to Morpheus. The new Zionites still acted as if he was the chief over the place.

"They can always wait," Neo threw back as he ran after her. They had been deprived of a childhood, so they deserved a break from it all. 

He could hear Trinity laugh as people offered him lunch at the main gate. He slipped through the crowd in favor of Trinity. If he could, he would've given everything for Trinity. In all reality, he had and always would.

Author's Notes: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! It's over!!! Someone make it stop.

Author's Notes 2: If anyone has any plot bunnies running around in their heads, I'd love to know the idea. I'd love to start another matrix fanfiction for anyone as long as the idea has not been used before. Mary Sues annoy me as much as the next person. So, anything you guys want me to write, send the ideas in either a review or to insanepineapple8@aol.com. Until then, I'm afraid I have to tie up some loose ends in my other fanfictions. 

Hugs and cookies to lovewildfire, Aquarian Wind, Midnight's Trinity, Divamercury, Satiana. 


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